WALTER  S.  NEWHALL 


A     MEMOIR. 


Whom  neither  shape  of  danger  can  dismay, 
Nor  thought  of  tender  happiness  betray  ; 
Who,  not  content  that  former  worth  stand  fast, 

From  well  to  better,  daily  self-surpast : 
Who,  whether  praise  of  him  must  walk  the  earth 
Forever,  and  to  noble  deeds  give  birth, 
Or  he  must  fall,  to  sleep  without  his  fame, 
And  leave  a  dead,  unprofitable  name, — 
Finds  comfort  in  himself  and  in  his  cause  ; 
And,  while  the  mental  mist  is  gathering,  draws 
His  breath  in  confidence  of  Heaven's  applause  ; 
This  is  the  Happy  Warrior  ;  this  is  He 
That  every  man  in  arms  should  wish  to  be." 


PHILADELPHIA: 

PUBLISHED     FOR     THE     BENEFIT    OF 

THE    SANITARY    COMMISSION 
1864. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1864, 

BY    C.     SHERMAN,     SON     &     CO., 
For  the  U.  S.  Sanitary  Commission, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Eastern  District  of 
Pennsylvania. 


CAXTON   PRESS  OF  C.  SHERMAN,  SON   &,  CO. 


INTRODUCTION. 


THIS  brief  Memoir  was  drawn  up  at  the  request 
of  a  manager  of  the  Metropolitan  Fair  in  aid  of 
the  Sanitary  Commission.  It  was  thought  that  a 
sketch  of  the  career  of  the  most  distinguished 
young  men  who  have  died  in  the  present  struggle 
for  law  and  right  would  interest  all  who  sympa- 
thize with  the  cause,  and  that  the  story  of  their 
upright  lives  might  be  an  example  to  those  who 
emulate  their  brave  deeds.  In  every  war — above 
all,  in  one  like  this — there  are  countless  sublime 
acts  which  are  never  heard  of,  hosts  of  heroes 
among  the  nameless  dead.  "Their  works  do  fol- 
low them,"  and  are  written  on  high  in  characters 
which  the  whole  world  shall  read  at  the  last  great 
day.  Until  then  their  stories  are  not  for  us,  and 
we  must  turn  to  the  register  of  those  who  had 
made  themselves  known  before  they  fell. 

The  subject  of  the  following  pages  was  of  that 
number,  and  his  parents  felt  that  they  could  not 
refuse  to  the  use  of  his  country  the  record  of  the 


iv  INTRODUCTION. 

life  he  gave  in  her  service.  The  narrative  has 
been  compiled  from  his  own  letters,  placed  at  the 
disposal  of  the  editor  by  his  family,  and  from  the 
recollections  of  his  friends  and  fellow  officers. 
There  has  been  no  attempt  to  embellish  the  story; 
it  stands  in  its  simplicity,  pointing  to  a  moral  as 
old  as  Time,  that  the  best  Christian  is  the  bravest 
soldier,  and  the  purest  life  has  the  most  peace- 
ful end. 

GERMANTOWN,  March,  1864. 


TO    THE    OFFICERS    AND    MEN 


Hegiment  JtennssUwttifl  boittnte^r  Catwlrs, 


THIS    MEMOIR   OF   A    LATE   COMRADE 


IS     DEDICATED. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

PAGE 

His  BOYHOOD, 9 

CHAPTER    II. 
THE  FIRST  CALL  TO  ARMS,     .         .         .         .  ,        .23 

CHAPTER    III. 
THE  CAMPAIGN  IN  MISSOURI, 33 

CHAPTER    IV. 
THE  PENINSULA, 52 

CHAPTER    V. 
THE  FIRST  WINTER  IN  THE  FIELD, 77 

CHAPTER    VI. 
THE  RAIDS, 89 

CHAPTER    VII. 
HOME  INVADED, 102 

CHAPTER    VIII. 
THE  GUERRILLAS, .         .  114 

CHAPTER    IX. 
THE  END, 133 


'  THERE  is  no  light  in  earth  or  heaven 
But  the  cold  light  of  stars, 

And  the  first  watch  of  night  is  given 
To  the  red  planet  Mars. 

'  Is  it  the  tender  star  of  love  ? 
The  star  of  love  and  dreams  ? 

0  no  !  from  yon  blue  tent  above 
A  hero's  armor  gleams. 

'  And  earnest  thoughts  within  me  rise 

As  I  behold  afar, 
Suspended  in  the  evening  skies, 

The  shield  of  that  red  star. 

1  0  star  of  strength  !  I  see  thee  stand 

And  smile  upon  my  pain  : 
Thou  beckonest  with  thy  mailed  hand, 

And  I  am  strong  again. 

1  Within  my  breast  there  is  no  light 
But  the  cold  light  of  stars  ; 

1  give  the  first  watch  of  the  night 
To  the  red  planet  Mars." 


MEMOIR  OF 

WALTER  S.  NEWHALL 


CHAPTER    I. 

HIS    BOYHOOD. 

"  Iron-jointed,  supple-sinewed, 
They  shall  dive  and  they  shall  run." 

"From  their  fifth  to  their  twentieth  year,  they  instruct  their 
children  in  three  things  only, — the  art  of  the  bow,  horsemanship, 
and  a  strict  regard  to  truth." 

WALTER  SYMONDS  NEWHALL  was  born  in  Phila- 
delphia, October  31st,  1841.  He  was  the  third  of 
ten  sons,  of  the  good  old  Mayflower  stock,  sea- 
soned in  the  War  of  Independence.  His  parents 
moved  to  Germantown,  Pennsylvania,  when  he  was 
only  seven  years  old,  and  that  to  him  henceforward 
was  home,  and  the  dearest  spot  on  earth.  From 
earliest  childhood,  he  showed  most  of  the  peculiar- 
ities which  distinguished  him  as  a  man.  Warmth 
of  heart,  love  of  fun,  scorn  of  pain,  indomitable  will, 
and  perfect  truthfulness,  always  characterized  him. 
Pride  and  temper,  too,  the  "foes  within,"  which 
he  fought  so  hard  in  after  years,  were  not  slow  in 


10  W ALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

showing  themselves.  He  was  easily  led  by  the 
silken  cord  of  love,  but  could  not  be  driven  by 
any  means ;  he  resisted  resolutely,  and  never  gave 
up  while  he  saw  a  chance  of  carrying  his  point ; 
but  strong  sense  and  practical  intelligence  also 
early  gave  him  the  faculty  of  perceiving  when  this 
was  hopeless.  He  was  brought  up  with  a  reverence 
for  authority,  which  he  always  preserved,  notwith- 
standing his  extreme  independence  and  self-re- 
liance, and  which  served  to  make  him  so  good  a 
soldier,  able  both  to  command  and  to  obey.  He 
was  a  manly  child  from  his  very  cradle,  full  of 
spirit  and  fond  of  active  games,  but  withal  his 
heart  was  full  of  tenderness.  He  was  always  un- 
demonstrative and  reserved,  shy  of  speaking  his 
feelings,  and  even  of  having  them  known;  but 
they  welled  over  to  his  mother  and  baby-sister, 
with  whom  his  gentleness  and  affection  were  like 
a  woman's,  and  his  strong  love  for  his  father, 
brothers  and  friends,  found  expression  in  other 
ways  than  by  words.  Even  as  a  school-boy  he  was 
fond  of  little  children,  and  took  great  pains  to 
amuse  and  interest  them,  listening  to  their  stories, 
and  telling  them  stories  in  return,  that  left  them 
with  eyes  and  mouth  wide  open,  and  their  sense  of 
the  marvellous  greatly  heightened;  in  travelling 
he  would  sit  beside  them  in  the  cars,  make  their 
acquaintance,  soothe  their  fears,  learn  their  history, 
astonish  them  with  some  tale  of  wonder,  and  part 


HIS    BOYHOOD.  Jl 

from  them  as  if  they  were  old  cronies.  This  is  an 
unusual  trait  in  a  bluff  boy  with  his  head  full  of 
town-ball  and  cricket.  When  ten  or  twelve  years 
of  age,  he  went  with  his  father  to  see  the  dramatized 
version  of  u  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin;"  he  was  amused 
and  excited  at  first,  but  as  the  interest  of  the  plot 
increased  and  the  scenes  became  pathetic  and  pain- 
ful, he  was  affected  and  distressed;  he  struggled 
with  it  as  any  boy  will,  shy  and  ashamed  of  his 
emotion,  choking  the  sighs  and  gulping  down  the 
tears,  until  at  last,  unable  to  contain  himself,  he 
exclaimed  in  a  strangled  voice,  between  wrath  and 
grief:  "  What  do  they  act  such  things  for?  They 
make  me  sick;"  and  requested  to  be  taken  from 
the  theatre.  His  father,  who  saw  that  he  was  in 
a  state  of  great  agitation,  took  him  home,  and  he 
was  quite  ill  from  excitement  for  a  day  or  two 
afterwards. 

He  was  not  fond  of  study,  and  never  particu- 
larly distinguished  himself  at  school ;  but  he  was 
the  hero  of  the  play-ground.  He  had  a  real  pas- 
sion for  out-of-door  amusements,  and  excelled  in 
every  athletic  exercise.  He  was  pre-eminent  among 
his  playfellows  in  all  games,  whether  of  speed, 
strength,  or  skill ;  the  heartiness  with  which  he 
entered  into  the  sport,  and  which  never  failed  or 
flagged,  made  each  eager  to  secure  him  for  his 
side.  Yet  this  superiority  excited  no  jealousy  ;  it 
was  felt  and  owned,  and  his  companions  delighted 


12  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

in  it.  One  who  was  his  earliest  playfellow,  as  well 
as  the  dearest  friend  of  his  later  years,  says :  "  No 
boy  ever  spoke  ill  of  him ;  no  one  ever  had  any- 
thing unkind  to  say."  And  so  it  was  throughout 
his  life,  from  the  play-ground  to  the  cricket-field, 
and  at  last  in  the  camp.  An  older  man,  who  had 
seen  much  of  him  under  the  very  circumstances 
to  test  the  presence  of  such  qualities,  remarked 
that  Walter's  own  perfect  generosity  and  magna- 
nimity seemed  to  influence  all  those  who  came  in 
contact  with  him ;  his  success  stirred  no  envy,  no 
ill-nature,  no  spite ;  petty  feelings  withered  away 
before  his  noble,  genial  disposition.  He  was  al- 
ways popular,  and  his  good  nature,  high  spirits, 
unselfishness  and  whole-heartedness,  were  enough 
to  account  for  it.  Behind  all  his  gayety  and 
frankness  there  was  an  impenetrable  wall  of  re- 
serve. He  had  faults,  but  no  foibles;  and  such 
characters,  though  they  must  command  the  respect, 
do  not  usually  win  the  affection  and  sympathy  of 
ordinary  persons.  Yet  he  possessed  both  in  a 
greater  degree  than  any  man  or  woman  we  have 
ever  known.  There  was  an  undefinable  greatness 
about  him,  both  as  boy  and  man,  that  made  a  last- 
ing impression  on  all  who  ever  saw  him. 

Town  life,  and  even  the  half  rural  existence  he 
led  at  home,  were  not  free  enough  for  his  love  of 
nature,  and  of  country  sports  and  out-of-door  pur- 
suits. The  greatest  enjoyment  of  his  boyhood  was 


HIS    BOYHOOD.  13 

in  hi's  yearly  visits  to  the  wild  and  beautiful  scenery 
of  the  Northern  States.  He  passed  several  sum- 
mers among  the  mountains  and  lakes  of  Maine, 
swimming,  riding,  fishing,  shooting,  and  leading 
the  life  of  a  hunter,  wading  in  the  trout-streams, 
and  camping  out  in  the  woods.  His  coming  was 
always  hailed  with  joy  by  the  kind  and  hospitable 
friends  with  whom  he  made  his  home  there ;  his 
good  humor,  fun,  and  high  spirits  made  him  the 
very  life  of  the  house,  and  the  keen  zest  with  which 
he  entered  into  all  the  pursuits  of  his  hosts  de- 
lighted them,  particularly  as  they  had  not  looked 
for  such  healthy  tastes  and  hardy  habits  in  a  "  city 
boy."  He  continued  to  return  to  these  favorite 
haunts  long  after  he  had  left  school-days  and 
childhood  behind  him  ;  still  turning  with  eagerness 
from  his  desk  in  the  counting-room  to  the  beautiful 
scenery  and  athletic  sports  which  were  a  necessity 
of  his  nature. 

He  was  about  twelve  years  old  when  the  boys 
of  his  neighborhood  began  to  take  up  the  game  of 
cricket.  For  some  years  there  had  been  a  club  of 
older  men  in  Philadelphia,  who  played  regularly 
at  Camden,  New  Jersey ;  now  a  Germantown  club 
was  formed,  and  created  a  great  excitement 
among  the  youth.  Several  of  the  Newhalls  were 
among  the  first  members,  and  Walter's  singular 
excellence  in  all  games  of  strength  and  skill  im- 
mediately showed  itself  in  this.  He  threw  him- 


14  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

self  into  it  with  his  usual  ardor,  and  his  career  as 
a  cricketer  is  a  chapter  by  itself  in  his  short  story. 
The  game  became  quite  a  feature  in  Philadelphia 
life.  The  interests  of  that  respectable  city  are 
neither  so  various  nor  so  numerous,  perhaps,  as 
those  of  some  other  towns  of  the  same  size ;  but 
it  is  surprising  to  see,  when  an  idea  penetrates  the 
community,  how  completely  it  pervades  it.  Cricket 
became  the  fashion,  the  great  excitement  and  chief 
topic  of  a  large  class,  for  six  months  of  the  year. 
Everybody  soon  belonged  to  one  club  or  another : 
the  Philadelphia  included  those  between  twenty- 
one  and  thirty-five  years  of  age,  professional  men 
and  men  of  business ;  the  Germantown  Club  was 
composed  of  a  younger  set,  college  lads  and  school- 
boys. Shortly  afterwards  another  club  was  formed, 
called  the  Young  America,  which  was  made  up  of 
all  the  younger  brothers  and  boys  considered  too 
young  to  belong  to  the  Germantown, — mere  chil- 
dren. A  number  of  others,  the  Olympian,  Delphian, 
&c.,  sprang  up  in  different  directions,  and  the  rage 
became  so  universal,  that  parties  of  small  ragged 
boys,  hardly  out  of  petticoats,  were  to  be  seen  with 
sticks  for  bats,  and  stones  for  balls,  setting  up  their 
wickets  on  rough  lots,  covered  with  ashes  and 
oyster-shells.  The  young  ladies  of  the  society 
shared  in  the  excitement,  and  were  violent  parti- 
sans of  the  different  clubs  and  individual  players. 
Whenever  a  match  or  even  a  game  was  going  on, 


HIS    BOYHOOD.  15 

rows  of  sympathizing  spectators  sat  on  the  fences 
which  surrounded  the  ground,  hour  after  hour,  with 
the  sun  on  their  heads,  through  the  long  hot  day. 
Of  course,  where  the  interest  in  the  game  was  so 
general,  a  fine  player  became  a  very  conspicuous 
and  important  personage,  much  noticed,  much  flat- 
tered, and  consequently,  sometimes  a  little  spoiled. 
Walter  Newhall  distinguished  himself  immediately, 
and  attracted  a  great  deal  of  attention  by  his  ex- 
treme grace  and  masterly  play,  which  his  youth 
made  the  more  remarkable.  As  the  clubs  im- 
proved, year  after  year,  by  constant  practice,  he 
kept  pace  with  their  progress,  always  maintaining  his 
pre-eminence,  until  his  long-established  local  repu- 
tation spread  among  those  who  were  interested  in 
the  game,  throughout  the  whole  country.  But  the 
praise  and  notice  which  were  lavished  upon  him 
never  affected  him  in  the  slightest  degree ;  he  was 
not  in  the  least  personally  elated  by  success,  nor 
mortified  by  failure ;  his  only  feeling  was  for  the 
victory  or  defeat  of  his  side,  with  which  he  wholly 
identified  himself.  His  best  moral  qualities  were 
displayed  on  the  field, — cheerfulness,  generosity, 
endurance,  perseverance,  and  modesty.  He  never 
grew  weary  or  lost  heart,  and  was  the  soul  of  his 
party.  He  was  noted  for  his  generosity  in  sacri- 
ficing himself,  when  he  could  do  so  without  losing 
sight  of  the  interests  of  his  side,  to  give  another 
player  a  chance.  When  the  fate  of  the  game  was 


16  WALTER    S.    NEWH ALL. 

doubtful,  however,  he  was  always  anxious  for  the 
best  place,  having  great  self-reliance,  and  full  con- 
sciousness of  his  own  superiority.  Yet  there  was 
no  strutting  as  cock  of  the  walk  ;  he  took  his  place 
in  the  simple,  unassuming  manner  which  belonged 
to  him  in  all  circumstances,  a  result  of  mingled 
pride  and  modesty. 

The  qualities  needed  for  a  good  cricketer  are  a 
quick  eye,  a  cool  head,  a  steady  hand,  a  strong  arm, 
a  swift  foot,  and  an  active  body;  good  humor, 
equanimity,  perseverance,  self-reliance,  and  disci- 
pline. The  effect  of  all  this  upon  the  physical  and 
moral  tone  of  the  young  men  was  very  soon  appa- 
rent ;  they  grew  muscular  and  robust,  and  their 
characters  gained  in  manliness.  Since  the  war  has 
called  away  so  many  of  these  young  champions, 
that  the  pleasant  fields  and  lanes  about  our  homes 
are  deserted  and  dreary,  it  has  been  a  subject  of 
curiosity  to  ascertain  whether  the  cricket-field  had 
furnished  its  quota,  and  it  may  not  be  uninterest- 
ing to  those  in  favor  of  manly  sports  to  know  the 
result.  Of  the  first  eleven  of  the  Philadelphia 
Club  but  nine  were  Americans,  and  seven  of  these 
went  to  the  war  ;  of  the  first  eleven  of  the  German- 
town  Club  (those  who  habitually  played  against 
the  Philadelphia),  eight  are  or  have  been  in  the 
service ;  of  the  Young  Americans  (who  beat  the 
Gerrnantown  boys  in  the  spring  of  1859),  the 
whole  first  eleven  have  borne  arms ;  and  of  those 


HIS    BOYHOOD.  37 

who  played  the  Family  Match,  as  it  was  called,  the 
Newhalls  and  Wisters  versus  first  eleven  of  the 
Germantown  (a  game  saved  to  the  "Families,"  by 
Walter  Newhall's  masterly  batting),  the  whole 
eleven  of  the  winning  side,  five  Newhalls  and  six 
Wisters,  were  in  the  army  at  the  same  time.  So 
many  other  members  of  these  and  all  the  clubs  are 
or  have  been  in  service  that  there  has  been  almost 
no  playing  for  the  last  three  years.  The  breaking 
out  of  the  war  was  the  breaking  up  of  cricket  in 
Philadelphia. 

Walter  Newhall  did  his  work  with  the  same 
heartiness  and  thoroughness  with  which  he  entered 
into  sport.  At  sixteen  he  left  school  and  entered 
the  counting-room.  Though  his  duties  there  could 
hardly  have  been  congenial  to  him, — as  his  enjoy- 
ment of  such  a  different  life  afterwards  proved, — 
he  performed  them  with  great  alacrity  and  ability. 
He  was  never  afraid  of  work,  and  bent  his  strong 
will  to  excel  in  this  as  in  other  things.  His  ambi- 
tion seemed  to  be  to  show  his  seniors  that  when 
anything  was  to  be  done  he  could  be  relied  upon. 
His  mind  had  a  practical  bent,  and  his  judgment 
and  common  sense  were  remarkable,  which  stood 
him  in  good  stead  in  this  as  well  as  in  every  other 
position. 

After  about  a  twelvemonth  at  the  desk,  he  took 
up  the  study  of  chemistry,  which  was  more  to  his 
taste,  and  entered  the  laboratory  of  Messrs.  Booth 


18  WALTER,    S.    NEWH ALL. 

&  Garrett,  where  he  remained  for  two  years,  until 
the  war  broke  out.  There,  as  everywhere  else, 
his  good  humor  and  high  spirits  rendered  him  a 
favorite  with  both  his  instructors  and  fellow- 
students.  His  fun  was  inexhaustible  and  irresisti- 
ble ;  he  diffused  a  spirit  of  life  and  mirth  wherever 
he  went.  His  fondness  for  life  in  the  open  air  and 
out-of-door  amusements  was  unabated;  whenever 
he  could  take  a  holiday  or  a  half-holiday,  he  rushed 
back  to  cricket  with  more  zest  than  ever. 

The  last  year  of  his  happy  home-life  was  a  bril- 
liant one  in  the  annals  of  American  cricket.  There 
were  a  number  of  great  matches  played  between  the 
best  clubs  in  the  country,  and  with  the  Canadians, 
and  the  famous  All  England  Eleven.  Walter  never 
left  the  Germantown  Club,  but  was  chosen  by  the 
different  committees,  to  play  on  almost  all  these 
public  occasions.  As  a  first-class  player,  his  ave- 
rage for  this,  his  last  season,  was  larger  than  that 
of  any  cricketer  known  in  the  United  States.  He 
"went  to  bat"  thirty-two  times,  and  scored  five 
hundred  and  forty-nine  runs,  making  an  average  of 
seventeen  in  each  innings  ;  he  was  also  distinguished 
as  a  "back-stop,"  a  difficult  and  responsible  post, 
in  which,  however,  his  prowess  cannot  be  stated 
in  figures.  His  highest  match  score  was  a  hundred 
and  five  runs,  but  he  repeatedly  made  upwards  of 
fifty.  He  distinguished  himself  constantly,  espe- 
cially in  the  matches  with  the  All  England  Eleven. 


HIS    BOYHOOD.  19 

At  the  match  played  with  them  at  Hoboken,  New 
Jersey,  early  in  October,  1859,  he  made  the  second 
best  score  on  his  side.  A  week  or  two  later,  when 
playing  with  the  same  Eleven  in  Philadelphia,  his 
"  fielding"  was  so  fine,  that  one  of  the  Englishmen 
being  disabled,  they  applied  for  Walter  to  take  his 
place  and  make  up  their  number.  The  following 
June,  1860,  he  played  three  matches  in  the  course 
of  one  week.  On  the  first,  against  the  St.  George's 
Cricket  Club  of  New  York,  accounted  the  best  in 
the  country,  he  made  fifty-nine  in  one  game ;  one 
of  the  finest  American  scores  on  record,  from  fif- 
teen to  twenty  being  fair  average  play.  On  the 
two  following  days  he  made  twenty-five  against  the 
New  York  Club,  the  highest  score  on  his  side.  He 
was  as  fresh  and  as  strong  as  ever  at  the  end  of 
this  tremendous  week,  and  ready  for  another  match, 
while  most  of  the  cricketers  were  exhausted  or 
really  injured  by  the  exertion.  A  number  of  base- 
ball players  were  present  at  these  matches,  and 
noticing  with  how  much  grace  and  power  he  threw 
the  ball  (the  great  point  in  their  game),  they 
challenged  him  to  try  against  their  best  man.  He 
could  hardly  decline,  and  threw  the  ball  over  one 
hundred  and  thirteen  yards, — several  yards  further 
than  the  base-ball  player.  The  latter  and  his 
friends  seeming  to  think  this  was  a  sort  of  pheno- 
menon, that  could  not  be  repeated,  urged  another 
trial.  Walter  said,  in  his  usual  careless  manner : 


20  WALTER    S.    NEW  HALL. 

"Very  well,  I'm  going  to  dinner;  when  you've 
beaten  that  throw,  call  me  and  I'll  try  again,"  and 
walked  off.  But  he  was  not  called.  In  the  course 
of  these  matches  he  also,  on  two  successive  days, 
struck  the  cricket-ball  over  the  high  board  fence 
which  bounds  the  Hoboken  ground,  a  thing  which 
had  never  been  done  before,  even  by  the  All  Eng- 
land Eleven.  On  the  first  occasion  it  was  pro- 
nounced accidental  by  the  other  side,  but  when  he 
repeated  the  feat,  they  had  nothing  to  say. 

There  is  an  annual  match  between  the  American 
and  English  on  the  4th  of  July,  which  excites  great 
interest  among  cricketers ;  with  whom  it  is  known 
as  the  Home  International.  Walter  had  played 
on  this  match  for  several  years,  and  in  1860  he 
made  one  of  the  best  scores  at  it,  and  in  the 
course  of  the  same  week  two  remarkable  ones,  in 
matches  between  Germantown  and  N"ew  York,  and 
Philadelphia  versus  Newark.  About  the  same  time 
he  again  played  against  the  St.  George  with  great 
distinction.  Thes,e  prolonged  exertions,  this  put- 
ting forth  the  utmost  strength  and  speed,  day  after 
day,  in  the  hottest  weather,  never  exhausted  or 
over-fatigued  him,  and  early  the  following  month 
he  was  in  another  great  match  played  at  New  York 
by  the  American  against  the  Canadians.  He  had 
been  unfortunate  the  previous  year  in  a  similar 
match  at  Toronto,  and  now  amazed  the  Canadians 
by  scoring  thirty-eight  runs,  the  highest  made  by 


HIS     BOYHOOD.  21 

any  one  on  either  side.  This  was  one  of  his  greatest 
days  on  the  cricket-field,  and  it  was  one  of  the  last. 
But  when  he  left  the  scene  of  so  many  youthful 
triumphs  for  a  far  different  field,  where  he  was  to 
win  fame  in'  sterner  ways,  he  desired  that  his  bat 
should  be  kept  until  the  day  when  he  might  go 
back  to  it,  and  to  his  old  life,  and  hang  up  forever 
the  sabre,  for  which  he  now  forsook  them. 

Before  turning  the  bright  and  uneventful  page 
of  Walter's  boyhood,  it  is  meet  and  right  to  speak 
of  certain  influences  which  had  their  full  share  in 
developing  his  moral  nature,  and  of  which  his 
character  and  conduct  bore  the  unmistakable  stamp. 
The  intercourse  between  his  parents  and  their  chil- 
dren was  always  remarkably  free.  None  of  the 
sons  had  any  secrets  from  their  father,  who  in 
return  treated  them  with  the  utmost  confidence, 
and  an  equality,  which  in  no  wise  hurt  his  parental 
authority.  He  was  the  companion  of  his  boys, 
and  entered  into  all  their  plans  and  pleasures  with 
an  interest  hardly  second  to  their  own.  Truth 
was  the  virtue  which  he  inculcated  above  all  others, 
and  it  was  the  strongest  feature  of  Walter's  cha- 
racter. He  never  told  a  falsehood  in  his  life,  and 
though  he  might  displease  his  parents  he  never 
deceived  them.  They  felt  that  they  could  trust 
him  implicitly,  and  consequently  placed  a  confidence 
in  him  which  kept  alive  the  keenest  sense  of  honor 
and  responsibility  on  his  part.  He  was  brought 


22  WALTER    S.    NEWH  ALL. 

up  with  a  profound  respect  for  religion,  and  from 
an  early  age  went  regularly  to  church  and  Sunday 
school.  He  never  spoke  of  his  religious  feelings, — 
he  never  spoke  of  any  of  his  feelings, — and  he 
detested  and  ridiculed  cant,  which  he  was  quick  to 
detect  in  every  guise  ;  but  his  life  proved  that  the 
teachings  of  the  church  and  of  his  home  had  sunk 
deep  into  his  heart.  By  the  universal  testimony 
of  those  who  saw  him  year  after  year,  at  the  times 
when  all  restraint  was  thrown  off,  his  companions 
on  the  cricket-field,  his  fellow-students  in  the  labora- 
tory, and  his  comrades  in  camp,  no  profane  or 
impure  word  ever  fell  from  his  lips,  and  in  the  midst 
of  his  magnificent  manhood,  he  led  a  blameless  life. 
If  any  boy  should  chance  to  read  this  brief  re- 
cord of  a  boy's  life,  let  him  lay  this  to  heart. 
Walter  Newhall  was  no  child  of  sickly  sentimental- 
ism,  or  unreal  precocious  piety,  no  would-be  saint ; 
he  was  the  merriest  and  bravest  of  boys,  the  fore- 
most in  fun  and  frolic,  the  hero  of  the  play-ground, 
a  prince  of  good-fellows.  He  could  play  ten-pins 
and  billiards  as  well  as  ball  and  cricket;  he  could 
ride  and  swim  and  shoot ;  he  was  the  very  type  of 
gallant  youth, — and  yet  he  was  reverent,  temperate-, 
chaste  as  an  ideal  knight.  The  crowning  grace  of 
his  perfect  manhood  was  his  Christian  purity. 


FIRST    CALL    TO    ARMS.  23 

, 


CHAPTER   II. 

FIRST    CALL    TO    ARMS. 

"As  gentle  and  as  jocund  as  to  jest 
Go  I  to  fight.     Truth  hath  a  quiet  breast." 

"  Young  knights  and  squires,  a  lighter  train, 
Practised  their  chargers  on  the  plain, 
By  aid  of  hands,  of  leg,  and  rein, 

Each  warlike  feat  to  show  ; 
To  pass,  to  wheel,  the  croup  to  gain, 
And  high  curvett,  that  not  in  vain 
The  sword-sway  might  descend  amain 

On  foeman's  casque  below." 

THE  storm  which  had  been  brewing  so  long  burst 
at  last,  in  April,  1861.  The  flag  was  fired  upon, 
Fort  Sumter  surrendered,  and  the  news  rang 
through  the  land  that  the  war  had  begun.  For  a 
moment  every  one  held  their  breath,  not  knowing 
what  was  to  follow ;  then  came  the  President's  pro- 
clamation, and  the  whole  North  rose  with  a  shout. 
For  one  day  the  excitement  in  Philadelphia  was 
turbulent  and  dangerous.  Thousands  of  every 
class  assembled,  furious  at  the  news  of  the  surren- 
der, swearing  vengeance  on  the  disunionists  and 
disaffected.  They  marched  through  the  streets, 


24  WALTER    S.    NEW  HALL. 

their  number  swelling  as  they  went,  and  surrounded 
the  houses  of  those  known  to  sympathize  with 
the  South,  demanding  that  the  Star-spangled 
Banner  should  be  displayed  from  the  windows. 
The  leading  secessionists  fled  for  their  lives,  and 
did  not  dare  to  show  their  faces  for  some  days. 
No  blood  was  shed,  and  no  outrage  was  committed 
beyond  knocking  down  a  few  persons  in  the  crowd, 
and  demolishing  the  office  of  a  newspaper  called 
the  Palmetto  Flag.  It  was  no  common  mob; 
crowds  of  decent  and  respectable  citizens  mingled 
with  the  rougher  throng.  It  was  a  popular  de- 
monstration, and  no  violence  was  intended  or  per- 
petrated, but  the  people  were  fearfully  excited.  A 
touch  would  have  snapped  their  restraint,  and  riot 
must  have  followed.  The  Mayor  pacified  them  by 
a  sensible,  moderate  speech,  and  most  of  them 
dispersed  quietly ;  the  rest  he  sent  away  authori- 
tatively, having  a  strong  body  of  police  in  reserve. 
The  President's  Proclamation  appeared  on  the 
next  day  and  had  an  excellent  effect ;  it  opened  a 
channel  for  all  this  fervor,  and  infused  a  life  and 
cheerfulness  into  everybody  that  had  been  long 
unknown.  The  Governor  of  Pennsylvania  instantly 
issued  a  spirited  reply,  and  there  was  but  one  sub- 
ject of  thought  and  conversation.  Business  almost 
stopped.  The  streets  were  filled  with  a  crowd  of 
idle,  eager,  hurrying,  lounging,  talking,  listening 
people,  of  every  age,  sex,  and  condition,  men  and 


FIRST    CALL    TO    ARMS.  25 

women,  who  had  never  met  before,  accosting  each 
other  with  breathless  questions.  Every  building 
was  hung  and  draped  with  the  Stars  and  Stripes, 
as  if  for  some  grand  procession,  and  the  long  straight 
perspective  of  the  streets  was  broken  by  the  waving 
folds  of  innumerable  flags  and  banners.  The  shop 
windows  made  a  gay  show,  the  wares  being  grouped 
together  in  the  national  tri-color.  Wherever  there 
was  a  bulletin-board,  there  was  a  jam  of  people 
trying  to  read  the  last  telegraphic  despatch.  The 
reports  were  numerous  and  incredible,  and  though 
no  one  believed,  every  one  was  eager  to  hear  them. 
The  only  real  intelligence  was  the  stirring  ac- 
counts of  the  simultaneous  rising  of  the  people  in 
obedience  to  the  summons  of  the  Government.  The 
regular  troops  from  New  England  and  New  York 
were  passing  through  the  city  all  day  and  all  night. 
Enlisting  and  drilling  had  begun,  and  every  man, 
young  or  old,  was  joining  some  one  of  the  countless 
companies.  The  old  established  bodies  of  militia 
filled  up  at  once,  and  were  in  hourly  expectation 
of  being  ordered  off.  Farewells  were  exchanged  on 
every  side,  and  with  this  leave-taking  the  agony 
of  the  coming  years  began. 

The  President's  first  call  for  troops  was  published 
on  the  15th  of  April.  Walter  Newhall  was  among 
the  first  to  respond,  readily,  cheerily,  heartily. 
Single-minded  as  he  was,  he  saw  but  one  answer  to 
such  a  summons,  and  as  usual,  his  answer  was  in 
3 


26  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

action.  Two  days  afterwards,  on  the  17th,  he 
wrote  to  a  young  friend:  "We  want  to  raise  a 
cavalry  company  of  Germantown  boys,  who  won't 
mind  fighting  for  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  Call 
when  you  come  to  town.  We'll  have  a  good  time, 
and  save  the  country  yet." 

The  organization  of  this  company  was  begun  at 
once.  The  young  men  who  formed  the  nucleus 
were  a  dozen  of  about  the  same  age,  between 
nineteen  and  twenty-five,  old  schoolfellows  and 
comrades.  They  had  learned  the  same  lessons, 
played  the  same  games,  and  roamed  through  the 
same  woods  and  fields.  Most  of  the  associations  of 
their  short  lives  were  the  same ;  and  they  struck 
joyously  into  this  new  track,  pleased  with  the  idea 
that  they  should  travel  it  together.  The  captaincy 
was  offered  to  Wm.  Rotch  Wister  of  Germantown. 
He  was  the  senior  of  his  young  recruits  by  about 
ten  years.  He  had  known  them  from  childhood  ;  he 
had  seen  them  grow  up.  They  were  the  companions 
of  his  own  brothers,  one  of  whom  was  in  the  troop. 
He  shared  all  their  earnestness  and  enthusiasm  for 
the  cause  in  which  they  were  banded,  and  accepted 
the  position  in  the  same  spirit  in  which  it  was 
tendered.  In  a  few  days  they  went  into  barracks 
at  Chestnut  Hill,  in  the  untenanted  inn  attached  to 
an  unused  race-course.  They  began  in  right  sol- 
dierly fashion,  sleeping  on  "shake-downs"  in  the 
bare,  empty  rooms,  washing  at  the  pump,  and  groom- 


FIRST    CALL    TO    ARMS.  27 

ing  their  own  horses.  They  mounted  and  equip- 
ped themselves,  and  were  soon  joined  by  many 
young  men  from  the  neighborhood  and  from  Phila- 
delphia. The  race-course  made  a  capital  parade- 
ground,  and  they  employed  a  sergeant  of  the  old 
United  States  Cavalry  (now  a  captain  in  the  1st  New 
York  Cavalry,)  as  a  drill-master,  who  trained  them 
thoroughly  in  the  manual  and  the  management  of 
their  horses.  This  apprenticeship  proved  of  the 
greatest  use  to  the  little  party,  nearly  every  mem- 
ber of  which  has  since  been  in  active  service  in  the 
field,  many  being  to-day  cavalry  officers  of  distinc- 
tion. 

They  remained  at  Chestnut  Hill  for  two  months, 
drilling  constantly,  and  doing  all  the  duties  of  a 
private  soldier.  Those  two  months  will  long  be 
remembered  by  every  member  of  that  young  band, 
and  by  many  another  who  looks  back  to  it  as  a 
bright  halting-place,  across  the  oceans  of  blood  and 
tears  which  separate  us  from  the  spring  of  1861. 
Our  sorrows  had  not  come  upon  us  then  ;  at  least 
they  had  not  come  home  to  us.  We  were  hopeful 
and  confident, — over-confident.  But  few  saw  what 
was  to  come,  and  they  were  not  listened  to,  or  if 
listened  to,  laughed  at  for  false  prophets  and  faint 
hearts.  When  the  whole  North  seemed  to  move  as 
one  man,  when  the  youngest,  and  bravest,  and 
wisest,  and  best,  all  struck  hands  and  rushed  for- 
ward together,  it  was  a  sober  and  sad  judgment 


28  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

which  could  foresee  what  we  had  to  go  through 
before  we  reached  the  end, — the  end  which  then 
looked  so  near,  and  has  since  looked  so  far.  Those 
who  boastfully  named  ninety  days,  or  six  weeks,  or 
a  twelvemonth,  as  the  term  of  the  war,  only  spoke 
the  real  feeling  of  the  whole  North.  There  were 
many  who  would  not  couch  their  belief  in  such 
braggart  words ;  there  were  few  who  did  not  echo 
them  in  their  hearts.  We  had  yet  to  learn  our 
lesson.  And  it  was  not  strange  that,  all  unused 
as  we  were  to  misfortune  and  reverse,  we  could 
not  and  would  not  believe  that  they  were  in  store 
for  us.  The  first  blood  had  hardly  been  shed,  the 
first  young  hero  had  hardly  been  snatched  away, 
and  the  possibility,  the  reality  of  such  things  had 
not  been  ground  into  us.  Few  could  look  upon  that 
troop  at  Chestnut  Hill,  running,  leaping,  breaking 
their  horses,  every  form  instinct  with  vigor,  every 
eye  brilliant  with  health,  every  step  bounding  with 
glad  excitement  of  youth  and  conscious  strength, 
and  understand  the  meaning  of  such  words  as 
defeat  and  death.  The  season,  too,  drove  such 
thoughts  away.  The  spring  was  late,  and  came  at 
last  with  one  burst  of  warmth  and  bloom.  Such 
bright  days  as  followed  each  other,  week  after 
week,  such  luxuriant  vegetation,  such  swarms  of 
insect  life,  such  a  profusion  of  flowers  in  the  fields 
and  gardens,  such  a  harvest  of  strawberries,  had 
seldom  been  seen.  Everything  followed  in  rapid 


FIRSTCALLTOARMS.  29 

succession.  The  fruit-blossoms  had  not  melted 
away  from  the  orchards  before  the  roses  came,  and 
in  the  dark  pine  woods  which  overhang  the  Wissa- 
hickon,  the  milk-white  flowers  of  the  dogwood  had 
not  faded  before  the  laurel-blossoms  spread  like  a 
blush  over  the  gray  rocks.  The  barracks  were  the 
constant  resort  of  the  whole  neighborhood,  and  the 
steep  sylvan  lanes,  usually  so  lonely,  which  lead 
from  the  Wissahickon  to  Chestnut  Hill  became 
travelled  and  frequented.  Lines  of  carriages,  laden 
like  provision  trains,  were  constantly  on  the  way 
to  the  relief  of  the  volunteers,  carrying  hampers 
packed  with  reminiscences  of  pic-nics.  Tender 
mothers,  thoughtful  sisters,  and  fair  philanthro- 
pists, brought  hams,  tongues,  a-la-mode  beef,  meat 
pies,  fruit,  cake,  and  pastry,  and  drove  away,  sigh- 
ing for  the  poor  fellows  and  the  hardships  of  the 
soldier's  life.  Poor  fellows,  indeed  !  They  must 
have  laughed  since  then,  over  their  salt  pork  and 
hard  crackers,  to  think  of  the  sympathy  and  solici- 
tude with  which  their  larder  was  supplied  during 
their  short  military  apprenticeship.  The  afternoon 
drill  was  the  favorite  time,  and  then,  day  after  day, 
the  stand  would  be  covered  with  spectators;  the 
seats  were  crowded  with  pretty  faces  under  pictur- 
esque hats,  light  summer  dresses,  and  gay  scarves  ; 
and  the  young  knights  below  went  through  their 
evolutions,  duly  stimulated  by  the  thought  of  the 
bright  eyes  that  watched  them. 


30  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

The  young  men  were  nearly  all  good  horsemen, 
having  been  used  to  the  saddle  from  childhood. 
Walter  Newhall  was  one  of  the  best  riders,  and  by 
far  the  finest  swordsman  of  them  all.  The  same 
dexterity  which  had  given  him  such  advantage  with 
his  cricket-bat,  now  showed  itself  in  his  perfect 
command  of  the  sabre,  and  their  drill-master  said 
that  it  would  take  but  little  practice  to  make  him 
the  most  accomplished  swordsman  in  the  army. 
He  was  also  a  capital  shot,  and  soon  became  re- 
markably proficient  in  the  manual.  His  agility 
and  activity  were  extraordinary.  He  could  run  and 
clear  a  horizontal  bar  on  a  level  with  his  head, 
without  touching  it  ;  and  jump  over  his  horse, 
which  was  more  than  sixteen  hands  high,  with 
perfect  ease.  His  grace  was  as  remarkable  as  his 
strength.  He  was  at  this  time  between  nineteen 
and  twenty,  about  six  feet  tall,  straight  as  an 
arrow,  with  falling  shoulders,  a  noble  chest,  slen- 
der waist  and  flanks,  and  long  limbs,  on  which  the 
muscles  started  at  every  motion.  His  head  was 
small  and  well  set,  covered  with  close  curling 
brown  locks.  The  upper  part  of  his  face  was  very 
handsome ;  the  forehead  was  broad,  white,  and 
smooth.  The  eyes,  which  were  gray,  were  set 
deep  beneath  straight,  dark  brows,  and  had  always 
a  peculiar  steadiness  and  earnestness  of  gaze, 
which  at  times  deepened  into  formidable  stern- 
ness. The  other  features  were  somewhat  heavy,  but 


FIRST    CALL    TO    ARMS.  31 

expressive  of  great  determination,  and  later  they 
sharpened  and  became  finer  in  outline.  His  teeth 
were  fine,  and  his  complexion  clear  and  fresh. 
There  was  in  his  appearance  the  same  sort  of 
classical  simplicity  which  belonged  to  his  charac- 
ter. His  attitudes  and  postures,  as  he  ran,  leaped, 
wrestled,  or  curbed  his  high-spirited,  half-broken 
horse,  recalled  the  famous  Quoit-player  and  Wrest- 
lers of  the  Tribune  at  Florence,  or  the  horsemen  in 
the  bassi-reUevi  on  the  Arch  of  Constantine.  Mind 
and  body  alike  were  cast  in  a  heroic  mould. 

Beside  the  drill  and  exercises  there  were  other 
tasks  to  be  performed,  which  were  not  agreeable 
even  to  the  most  enthusiastic.  The  guard-mount- 
ing and  police  duties  are  not  the  pleasantest  part 
of  camp  life,  and  were  less  so  than  usual  at 
Chestnut  Hill,  because  as  the  company  had  not 
been  regularly  mustered  into  the  service,  no  one 
had  actual  authority  to  compel  obedience.  New- 
hall  went  through  these  duties  as  thoroughly 
and  cheerfully  as  his  manual,  and  set  an  example 
of  willingness  to  his  comrades.  He  worked  inde- , 
fatigably,  determined  to  master  whatever  was  to 
be  learned  there,  and  to  do  whatever  was  to  be 
done.  His  spirits  did  not  desert  him,  and  his  in- 
difference to  discomfort  made  it  seem  lighter  to 
the  others.  He  was  as  popular  here  as  every- 
where else. 

They  remained  at  Chestnut  Hill  until  the  middle 


32  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

of  June,  and  went  through  a  course  of  training, 
which  sent  them  to  the  field,  better  fitted  for  the 
exigencies  of  their  position  than  most  of  our  volun- 
teers. A  cavalry  company  from  Reading,  Pennsyl- 
vania, joined  them,  while  they  still  had  the  hope  of 
being  accepted  by  the  Government,  and  another 
from  Whitemarsh,  Pennsylvania,  chiefly  farmers, 
(men  who  have  done  good  service  in  the  six  months 
since  Gettysburg,)  came  to  cast  in  their  lot  with 
theirs,  so  that  they  made  a  fine  body  of  men,  ready 
to  serve  their  country,  and  provide  themselves 
with  horses  and  equipments  at  their  own  expense. 
But  at  that  time  there  was  a  belief  at  Washington 
that  cavalry  would  not  be  needed,  and  volunteers 
were  not  encouraged  to  join  that  arm  of  the  service. 
After  repeated  disappointments,  it  became  clear 
that  the  Government  woiild  not  accept  them  as  a 
company,  and  at  the  end  of  two  months  they  dis- 
banded, and  each  one  began  to  look  out  for  a 
position  for  himself. 


THE    CAMPAIGN    IN    MISSOURI.  33 


CHAPTER   III. 

THE     CAMPAIGN    IN   MISSOURI. 

"  The  rush  of  squadrons,  sweeping 
Like  whirlwinds  o'er  the  plain, 
The  shouting  of  the  slayers, 
The  screeching  of  the  slain." 

"  Tis  meet  that  I  should  tell  you  now, 
How  fairly  armed,  and  ordered  how, 
The  soldiers  of  the  guard.'' 

THIS  memorable  spring  was  followed  by  a  summer 
still  more  memorable.  The  Battle  of  Bull  Run 
w^aked  every  one  to  the  truth,  that  a  long  and 
bloody  struggle  was  beginning.  The  effect  was 
instantaneous  and  tremendous.  The  enlisting  went 
on  faster  than  it  had  done  since  the  first  call  to 
arms.  Such  multitudes  rushed  to  the  recruiting 
stations,  that  the  officers  sat  from  morning  until 
evening  at  their  post,  and  yet  were  unable  to  enter 
the  names  of  all  who  presented  themselves  in  the 
course  of  the  day.  All  the  officers  who  had  entered 
the  service  were  impatient  to  be  in  action,  and  the 
regiments  in  process  of  organization  filled  up  and 
left  for  the  seat  of  war  at  once. 

General  Frdmont  had  just  then   returned  from 


34  WALTER    S.    NKWHALL. 

abroad.  Walter  Newhall  applied  to  him  for  any 
post  in  which  he  could  make  his  knowledge  of 
cavalry  useful ;  but  did  not  meet  with  much  en- 
couragement at  first.  He  kept  himself  before  the 
General's  notice,  however ;  and  on  the  morning  of 
July  26th,  received  a  telegram,  signed  "  Asboth," 
telling  him  to  report  at  St.  Louis  as  second  lieu- 
tenant of  cavalry.  Always  prompt,  he  left  the 
same  night,  and  on  the  4th  of  August,  wrote  from 
St.  Louis  as  follows  : 

"  I  arrived  here  this  morning.  General  Fre- 
mont will  be  here  this  afternoon,  and  I  am  to  call 
in  the  morning  for  instructions." 

"  August  5th.  I  called  upon  Colonel  Asboth 
this  morning,  and  he  has  made  me  a  second  lieute- 
nant of  the  body  guard  of  General  Fremont,  which 
is  thought  to  be  a  first-rate  place.  We  are  to  take 
a  ride  together  this  afternoon,  as  he  wishes  to  see 
how  I  move." 

"  August  llth.  Am  very  busy.  Left  the  hotel 
at  5  o'clock  this  A.  M.,  and  have  just  returned, 
9  p.  M.  To-morrow  we  have  our  men  mustered 
into  the  service.  They  enlist  and  get  the  same  pay 
as  regulars." 

"  August  17th.  Very  busy  at  the  barracks,  drill- 
ing men,  &c." 

"  August  21st.  Eighty-nine  men  arrived  from 
Kentucky  to-day,  as  members  of  the  body  guard. 
Our  captain  having  decided  to  increase  the  organi- 


THE    CAMPAIGN    IN    MISSOURI.  35 

zation,  we  are  at  present  recruiting  for  a  third 
company.  We  require  of  the  men  joining,  the 
very  best  of  recommendation,  and  have  already 
men  from  nine  States  of  the  Union.  The  body 
guard  is  to  act  as  escort  when  the  body  of  General 
Lyon  arrives." 

"  September  10th.  The  Western  department  has 
seen  fit  to  appoint  me  a  first  lieutenant  in  the  body 
guard,  with  increased  duties.  We  have  been  on 
the  road  almost  all  the  week,  day  and  night.  No 
time  to  write." 

"  September  13th.  Received  letters  from  home 
yesterday,  but  didn't  have  time  to  read  them  until 
this  A.  M.  We  were  in  the  saddle  from  7  A.  M.  till 
9  p.  M.  without  dinner,  and  the  men  are  taking  a 
rest  to-day.  I  am  in  command  of  Company  A." 

"  September  20th.  We  take  the  field  on  Monday 
with  the  Major-General  and  almost  all  the  troops 
in  and  about  St.  Louis.  We  shall  probably  stop 
at  Springfield,  unless  sooner  brought  up  by  the 
rebels." 

"  September  25th.  We  leave  to-morrow  for  Jef- 
ferson City.  Boat  leaves  at  12  o'clock.  Have  been 
already  waiting  marching  orders  for  two  days." 

His  old  fun  did  not  die  out  in  the  hard  and  busy 
life  which  he  had  begun.  He  had  a  budget  of  good 
stories  about  his  sojourn  in  St.  Louis,  and  as  usual 
several  jokes  against  himself,  one  of  which  gave 
him  especial  delight,  as  an  instance  of  his  own 


36  WALTER    S.    NEW  HALL. 

complete  discomfiture.  He  was  walking  down 
one  of  the  principal  streets,  when  Mrs.  Fremont's 
carriage  passed  him  and  drew  up  before  a  shop. 
He  was  at  some  distance  from  the  spot,  but  he 
strode  on  apace.  Could  he  allow  the  wife  of  his 
chief  to  descend  from  her  chariot  unaided,  or  with 
only  the  support  of  a  footman  ?  Impossible  !  His 
courtesy  and  chivalry  were  all  aroused;  he  sprang 
forward,  straightened  himself,  opened  the  carriage- 
door,  and  with  one  hand  to  his  cap,  held  out  the 
other,  hastily  ungloved,  to  assist  the  lady  to  de- 
scend; as  she  stepped  out  he  respectfully  raised 
his  eyes,  and  beheld — the  sable  phiz  of  Mrs.  Fr£- 
mont's  black  maid,  who  had  been  sent  out  to  shop 
for  her  mistress. 

On  his  journey  from  St.  Louis  to  Jefferson  City, 
his  singular  power  over  others  was  tested  in  a 
peculiar  way.  There  was  a  man  with  mania  apotu 
on  the  boat ;  he  was  almost  wild,  and  absolutely 
unreasonable  and  unmanageable.  Captain  Foley 
and  Major  Zagonyi  tried  in  vain  to  quiet  him ;  his 
cries  and  curses  disturbed  every  one  on  board. 
At  length  they  called  Newhall,  to  see  whether  he 
could  do  anything  with  him.  The  young  officer 
came  up,  with  his  brow  lowering,  and  his  eyes 
steady  and  stern,  as  they  could  be  when  need  was, 
and  merely  uttered  a  few  words  in  his  usual  decided 
manner.  The  man  cowered  instantly.  "Lieutenant, 
you're  my  master,"  he  replied,  with  a  maudlin  at- 


THE    CAMPAIGN    IN    MISSOURI.  37 

tempt  at  conciliation;  "I'll  make  no  more  noise;" 
and  they  had  no  further  trouble  with  him  in  that 
way;  but  the  poor  wretch  was  too  far  gone  in  his 
madness,  and  jumped  overboard  before  they  arrived. 

"  Jefferson  City,  October  4th.  We  arrived  here 
safely,  after  a  long  and  tedious  trip.  Our  horses 
were  in  pretty  good  condition,  and  our  three  com- 
panies presented  quite  an  appearance  as  we  passed 
by  the  Major-General,  who  came  up  in  the  cars, 
and  arrived  here  the  night  before  we  did.  We 
were  scouting  yesterday,  but  met  with  nothing 
worthy  of  note.  We  leave  our  camp  to-morrow 
morning ;  destination  unknown.  All  the  camps 
were  broken  up,  and  our  troops  moved  off  this 
morning." 

"  Warsaw,  Mo.,  October  20th.  We  made  a 
little  excursion  across  the  Osage  yesterday ;  cap- 
tured one  Secessionist,  fifteen  mules,  seven  horses, 
and  one  hundred  bushels  of  wheat,  &c.  We  don't 
have  to  pay  much ;  we  give  receipts,  to  be  paid  at 
discretion  of  the  Government.  We  have  not  yet 
met  anybody  who  has  seen  the  rebel  army.  We 
are  quartered  in  a  Secesh  house,  and  have  the 
photographs  of  the  male  members  of  the  family, 
who  are  in  the  rebel  army ;  they  are  armed  with 
a  rifle,  two  pistols,  two  bowie-knives,  and  one 
meat-saw,  each.  Pleasant-looking  customers  to 
meet  about  dusk.  We  have  been  here  since  Thurs- 
day ;  are  waiting  for  the  completion  of  the  bridge, 


38  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

which  is  being  erected  over  the  river  at  this  point. 
We  leave  to-morrow  morning  for  Quincy,  about 
twenty-miles  distant,  and  from  thence  march 
against  Price,  who  is  dividing  his  army  into  three 
divisions,  and  breaking  for  the  woods,  so  we  may 
miss  him  after  all." 

"  Left  Warsaw  on  the  night  of  the  22d  Octo- 
ber. Stopped  at  the  Three-mile  House  over- 
night. The  men  quartered  in  a  barn  belonging 
to  a  farmer.  I  tried  to  sleep  outside  with  over- 
coat and  India-rubber  blanket;  but  growing  cold 
towards  morning,  was  obliged  to  borrow  more 
bedding,  and  to  pull  over  an  extra  quantity  of 
straw.  Heavy  frost  during  the  night.  Men  had 
to  turn  in  without  supper.  Captain  Haskell  sup- 
plied us  with  some  hard  crackers.  The  '  lady' 
won't  sell  any  potatoes,  although  she  has  a  cellar 
full,  as  she  says  the  soldiers  have  stolen  every- 
thing away  from  her.  Made  fifteen  miles." 

"23d.  Encamped  on  marshy  ground  in  Benton 
County.  We  make  short  marches  until  Price's 
direction  is  ascertained,  when  the  body  guard 
starts  out  on  its  own  hook." 

"  First  camp  out  of  Warsaw.  Major  White  has 
retaken  Lexington  with  two  hundred  rebels,  libe- 
rated our  prisoners,  and  sent  them  to  St.  Louis,  on 
board  three  steamers,  also  captured  by  him." 

"  October  24th.  Made  fifteen  miles,  and  en- 
camped fifteen  miles  from  Bolivar.  Major  Zagonyi 


THE    CAMPAIGN    IN    MISSOURI.  39 

has  obtained  permission  to  move  forward  with  the 
body  guard,  in  conjunction  with  Major  White  and 
his  Prairie  Scouts.  Started  at  8J-  o'clock  P.  M. ; 
passed  Bolivar  about  2  o'clock  A.M.;  halted  at 

's  house  for  two  hours  ;  rested  and  fed  horses 

twenty-five  miles  from  Springfield.  At  about  ten 
miles  from  Springfield,  at  12  o'clock  noon,  on  25th, 
overtook  seven  scouts,  captured  six ;  the  seventh 
escaped  and  carried  the  alarm  into  the  town.  I 
captured  one  fellow,  who  was  fired  at  ten  times  by 
a  sergeant  of  Company  C.  Was  thrown  off  while 
trying  to  pass  a  bush.  Sergeant  Hunter  was  also 
thrown,  and  somewhat  hurt  by  the  fall.  Prisoner 
took  to  the  woods,  followed  by  me.  No  signs  of  him 
for  half  an  hour,  when  suddenly  saw  something  creep- 
ing in  the  grass;  challenged  and  retook  prisoner 
before  the  Major  came  up.  He  was  very  angry 
because  I  hadn't  shot  him ;  said  he  couldn't  take 
charge  of  prisoners.  Told  him  he  could  shoot  him 
now  if  he  wanted  to.  News  now  came  that  the 
town  was  occupied  by  two  thousand  men.  Nothing 
daunted,  the  Major  pushed  on,  crossing  the  prairie 
through  corn-fields  into  Mount  Vernon  Road,  down 
which  we  marched  at  fast  trot.  We  saw  some  Se- 
ceshers  in  advance,  and  i  to  the  charge'  was  ordered. 
They  cantered  very  leisurely,  and  led  us  directly 
into  the  enemy's  camp.  Providence,  which  rules 
all  things,  was  especially  our  guide  in  this  instance. 
Perceiving  the  enemy  in  such  strong  force,  as  I 


40  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

was  at  the  head  of  the  column,  leaped  in  my  seat 
and  asked  the  Major  if  the  charge  should  be  con- 
tinued. '  Certainly.'  Down  we  went  full  split, 
drawing  the  enemy's  fire.  The  Virginia  rail  fence 
saved  many  a  poor  fellow.  We  threw  down  the 
fence,  forward,  and  charged.  They  ran,  we  fol- 
lowed, cutting  them  down  like  grass.  Since  the 
fight,  we  learn  from  authentic  sources  that  one 
hundred  and  seven  were  killed,  among  whom  was 
a  colonel.  Two  lieutenants  were  taken  after  the 
fight  while  trying  to  escape.  No  prisoners  taken 
on  the  field.  The  general  impression  is  that  the 
infantry  of  these  parts  won't  stand  the  well-directed 
charge  of  impetuous  cavalry-men.  'Tis  poor  fun 
after  all.  The  brush  cost  us  seventeen  valuable 
lives,  and  about  twenty  wounded;  ten  missing, 
supposed  to  be  prisoners  in  the  hands  of  the 
enemy.  Some  people  have  been  kind  enough  to 
compare  our  charge  to  the  charge  of  the  Light 
Brigade  at  Balaklava,  the  immortal  six  hundred." 

It  is  a  striking  circumstance  that  the  battle  of 
Springfield  was  fought  on  the  anniversary  of  that 
very  charge. 

Others  describe  this  fight  in  more  words,  and 
stronger  words,  than  the  young  lieutenant  who  had 
won  his  spurs  and  fleshed  his  sword  that  day. 
Major  Zagonyi's  account  is  graphic,  and  we  ven- 
ture to  copy  parts  of  it  from  Mrs.  Fremont's  "  Story 
of  the  Guard." 


THE    CAMPAIGN    IN    MISSOURI.  41 

"  Running  down  the  lane  between  the  cross-fire, 
the  first  company  (Newhall's)  followed  close,  but 
the  rest  stopped  for  a  couple  of  seconds.  I  had 
not  wondered  if  none  had  come, — young  soldiers, 
and  such  a  tremendous  fire, — bullets  coming  like 

a  rain I  expected  to  find  the  enemy 

on  the  other  side  of  Springfield ;  but,  unexpectedly 
coming  out  of  the  woods  to  an  open  place,  I  was 
fired  on,  in  front  of  my  command.  Halted  for  a 
minute;  seeing  that,  or  a  bold  forward  march 
under  a  cross-fire,  or  a  doubtful  retreat  with  losing 
most  of  my  men,  I  took  the  first,  and  commanded 
4  March !'  Under  a  heavy  cross-fire  (in  trot),  down 
the  little  hill  in  the  lane,  two  hundred  yards,  to  a 
creek,  where  I  ordered  the  fence  to  be  opened ; 
marched  in  my  command,  ordered  them  to  form, 
and  with  the  war-cry  of  '  Fremont  and  the  Union,' 
we  made  the  attack.  The  first  company  (New- 
hall's,)  forty-seven  strong,  against  five  or  six 
hundred  infantry,  and  the  rest  against  the  ca- 
valry, was  made  so  successfully,  that,  in  three 
minutes,  the  cavalry  run  in  every  direction,  the 
infantry  retreated  in  the  thick  wood,  and  their 
cavalry  in  every  direction." 

Newhall's  first  thought  was  always  of  home  and 
the  fond  hearts  that  were  so  full  of  anxiety  for  his 
well-being,  and  on  the  very  battle-field,  in  all  the 
heat  of  the  recent  encounter,  he  scratched  off  the  fol- 
lowing letter  in  pencil,  and  despatched  it  at  once. 
4 


42  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

"  Twenty-five  miles  east  of  Springfield,  Mo., 
October  27th.  We  met  the  enemy,  about  2000 
strong,  and  thoroughly  routed  him ;  loss  not  known : 
ours  is  six  killed,  fifteen  wounded.  Although  we 
retired  after  the  fight,  the  place  remained  in  charge 
of  the  wounded  and  their  attendants.  We  march 
again  to-night  for  Springfield.  Our  men  are  very 
much  used  up,  having  been  in  the  saddle  thirty-six 
hours,  fought  a  grand  battle,  and  marched  eighty 
miles.  My  horse  was  shot  twice  by  rifle-balls,  and 
one  load  of  buckshot,  but  he  carried  me  through 
the  whole  affair  splendidly.  The  General  is  here, 
and  seems  to  be  proud  of  us.  We  were  about  one 
hundred  and  sixty  strong.  We  passed  down  a  lane 
exposed  to  a  cross-fire,  before  making  our  charge, 
which  killed  two  and  wounded  one  or  two.  Com- 
pany A  charged  the  infantry,  with  a  loss  of  four 
men,  and  five  or  six  horses.  Please  send  me  a 
good  sabre ;  mine  bent  in  thrusting,  and  the  edge 
turned  against  the  bones.  Had  my  pistol  knocked 
out  of  my  hand,  and  what  is  supposed  to  be  a  bullet, 
doubled  up  my  scabbard.  Will  write  more  fully 
soon.  Charley  Treichel  passed  through  without 
a  scratch,  and  behaved  admirably.  I  went  in  with 
forty-nine  men,  and  came  out  with  twenty-six.  The 
excitement  about  equalled  that  experienced  after 
making  'a  six  over  the  fence.' 

"Springfield,  Mo.,  October  29.  Hope  your 
anxiety  about  me  will  be  relieved  when  you  have 


TIIE    CAMPAIGN    IN    MISSOURI.  43 

the  accounts  of  our  successful  attack  upon  the  re- 
bels, and  ray  coming  out  of  the  battle  in  safety. 
While  charging  at  the  head  of  the  column  down 
the  lane,  a  runaway  horse  ran  against  me,  and 
sent  me  heels  over  head,  horse  and  all,  among  the 
stones  and  dirt.  At  this  time  we  were  exposed  to 
a  most  dreadful  fire,  and  you  will  imagine  that 
under  the  circumstances  it  didn't  take  me  long  to 
regain  my  former  position  in  the  saddle.  During 
the  engagement  a  ball  passed  through  the  breast  of 
my  coat,  entering  opposite  the  right  shoulder,  and 
coming  out  under  the  chin,  making  a  hole  through 
the  vest.  You  would  say  this  was  a  narrow  escape, 
as  you  have  not  seen  the  mark  of  a  ball  along  Major 
Zagonyi's  neck.  In  fact  not  a  dozen  of  our  men 
escaped  without  some  sign  of  bullets  or  sabres. 
The  body  guard  has  won  a  name  that  will  not  be 
forgotten  even  in  history.  The  fact  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  men  attacking  and  defeating  at  least  two 
thousand  is  unparalleled,  and  I  would  not  part  with 
my  share  of  the  glory  for  all  the  world. 

"  My  company  charged  the  infantry,  and  Major 
Zagonyi  led  Companies  B  and  C  against  the  caval- 
ry. We  separated  after  the  charge,  and  did  not 
meet  again  until  near  the  town,  both  having  accom- 
plished the  objects  in  view.  After  dispersing  the 
infantry  in  all  directions,  we  crossed  the  road  and 
charged  into  a  camp  of  cavalry,  where  were  about 
four  hundred  infantry,  also  with  success,  but  with 


44  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

the  loss  of  three  very  good  men  and  several  horses. 
The  wounded,  prisoners,  and  city,  remained  in 
charge  of  eighteen  men,  until  we  returned  on  Sun- 
day morning  with  reinforcements.  At  'one  time  I 
thought  we  should  have  to  surrender,  as  we  were 
completely  surrounded  ;  but  we  charged,  yelling 
like  wild  cats  and  Indians  mixed,  and  drove  the 
whole  party  like  a  flock  of  sheep.  The  rebel  pri- 
soners say,  they  thought  Fremont's  whole  army 
was  upon  them.  Some  of  them  believe  it  yet." 

The  newspapers  of  course  were  full  of  flaming 
descriptions  of  the  engagement,  and  Newhall  re- 
ceived his  full  share  of  praise  ;  but  there  was  one 
short  paragraph  in  a  Western  paper  which  pleased 
him  most  of  all  the  tributes  paid  to  his  courage  on 
the  occasion,  and  which  deserves  to  be  perpetuated 
as  a  proof  of  the  estimation  in  which  he  was  held 
by  his  own  men. 

"  HONOR  TO  WHOM  HONOR  is  DUE. — The  First 
Lieutenant  of  Company  A,  Fremont's  Body  Guard, 
Walter  Newhall,  from  Philadelphia,  has  excelled 
himself  in  the  fight  at  Springfield.  Honor  to 
him,  who  has  always  stood  on  the  side  of  his 
comrades,  not  only  with  the  sword,  but  as  a  friend 
and  adviser  of  his  men,  who  are  all  his  warmest 
supporters. 

"  In  the  name  of  Company  A,  Fremont's  Body 
Guard." 

Another  touching  proof  of  the  regard  which  his 


THE    CAMPAIGN    IN    MISSOURI.  45 

company  had  for  him,  came,  long  afterwards,  through 
a  Philadelphia  lady,  who  went  to  St.  Louis  to  nurse 
in  the  hospitals  there.  In  one  of  the  wards  she 
found  a  soldier  of  the  body  guard,  recovering  from 
a  fever,  a  very  intelligent,  well-informed,  manly 
person,  in  whose  mind  solemn  thoughts  had  been 
awakened  by  the  recent  dangers  through  which  he 
had  passed  at  the  battle  of  Springfield.  In  the 
course  of  conversation  the  lady  mentioned  Lieute- 
nant Newhall,  and  the  man's  whole  countenance 
lighted  up  on  finding  that  she  knew  his  officer : 
"  He  is  the  finest  man  in  the  regiment  !"  he  ex- 
claimed, uarid  the  most  popular.  He  knows  how  to 
deal  with  men  ;  he  is  always  kindly,  always  treats 
them  as  if  they  were  men,  and  not  machines.  I 
have  heard  one-half  the  men  say,  they  would  rather 
serve  under  Newhall  than  any  man  in  the  service." 
He  went  on  to  speak  of  his  many  virtues,  espe- 
cially his  patience  and  forbearance  with  the  trou- 
blesome fellows  in  the  company,  adding,  "  He  is  a 
true  Christian.  I  have  seen  him  sorely  tried,  and 
I  never  heard  him  swear." 

The  troops  now  encamped  on  the  prairie  near 
Springfield,  and  the  few  days  which  followed  this 
splendid  charge  were  devoted  to  paying  the  last 
honors  to  those  who  had  fallen.  A  body  of  Dela- 
ware Indians  with  their  chief,  Fall-leaf,  here  joined 
the  force.  Their  knowledge  of  the  country  and 
their  training  as  hunters  made  them  invaluable  as 


46  WALTER    S.    NEW  HALL. 

scouts,  and  they  had  the  utmost  devotion  for  Gene- 
ral Fremont.  Many  of  them  on  meeting  him  threw 
off  the  proverbial  Indian  undemonstrativeness,  and 
embraced  him  with  every  profession  of  attachment. 
They  went  into  camp  close  to  his  quarters,  and  held 
themselves  on  the  alert.  One  night  some  of  the 
Eastern  troops,  who  had  never  seen  a  red  man  be- 
fore, tried  to  induce  them  to  perform  a  native  dance. 
They  were  not  very  ready  to  exhibit  themselves, 
but  the  argument  of  whisky  prevailed.  They  built 
a  huge  fire  on  the  prairie,  and  began  to  dance 
round  it  with  shouts  and  cries,  gradually  working 
themselves  into  a  state  of  wild  excitement.  The 
whisky  flowed  freely  and  crept  into  their  veins, 
setting  their  blood  on  fire  ;  they  danced  and  whoop- 
ed and  lashed  themselves  into  a  frenzy,  with  frantic 
howls  and  yells,  leaping  and  stamping  like  mad- 
men, while  the  crowd  of  soldiers  looked  on  with 
pale  faces  at  the  savage  show. 

Meanwhile  the  whole  Western  army  was  moving 
towards  Springfield,  and  an  engagement  with  the 
enemy  seemed  imminent.  But  daily  rumors  and 
reports  from  Washington  were  filling  all  the  offi- 
cers with  uneasiness,  and  suddenly,  while  the  East- 
ern newspapers  were  still  full  of  the  spirited  fight 
at  Springfield,  news  came  from  the  West  that  Gene- 
ral Frdmont  had  been  superseded,  and  his  brave 
body  guard  mustered  out  of  the  service.  Newhall's 


THE    CAMPAIGN    IN    MISSOURI.  47 

account  of  this  is  simple  and  straightforward ;  he 
mentions  the  fact  and  makes  no  comment. 

" November  5th.  General  Fremont  removed! 
With  downcast  looks  and  gloomy  feelings  we  com- 
menced our  homeward  march,  but  our  spirits  were 
gradually  raised  by  the  cheerful  music  and  smiling 
countenances  of  the  loyalists." 

"  St.  Louis,  November  8th.  We  arrived  here  to- 
night with  the  General.  All  well.  The  people  turned 
out  by  thousands,  and  welcomed  us  in  a  torch-light 
procession.  Cheer  after  cheer  was  given  for  the 
'General,'  the  'Body  Guard,' '  MajorZagonyi,'  &c." 

Mrs.  Fremont's  account  of  this  reception  is  most 
striking,  and  we  again  take  the  liberty  of  borrow- 
ing from  her  book,  "  The  Story  of  the  Guard." 

"  Patient  crowds  had  kept  their  watch  through 
the  long  day,  and  by  night  it  was  a  sea  of  heads 
in  all  the  open  space,  around  our  house.  The 
door-posts  were  garlanded,  and  the  very  steps 
covered  with  flowers, — touching  and  graceful  offer- 
ings from  the  Germans.'  China-asters,  and  dahlias, 
with  late  roses  and  regular  bosquets  of  geraniums, 
beautified  the  entrance  and  perfumed  the  air ;  and 
when  the  General  did  make  his  way  at  last  through 
the  magnificent  assemblage,  it  was  to  be  met  by 
the  wives  and  children  of  the  German  officers  he 
had  left  at  Springfield.  Unknown  to  me,  they  had 
come  to  speak  their  hearts  to  him,  but  they  had 
more  tears  than  words.  Touched  to  the  heart 


48  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

already,  the  General  was  not  prepared  for  the 
arrival  of  citizens — American  as  well  as  German — 
who  came  to  thank  him  for  past  services,  and  ask 
to  stand  by  him  in  the  hour  of  disgrace.  Mean- 
time the  unceasing  cheers  and  shouts  of  the  vast 
crowd  without  sounded  like  the  tide  after  a  high 
wind.  I  could  not  stand  it.  I  went  far  up  to  the 
top  of  the  house,  and,  in  the  cold  night  air,  tried 
to  still  the  contending  emotions,  when  I  saw  a 
sight  that  added  to  the  throbbing  of  my  heart. 
Far  down  the  wide  avenue  the  serried  crowd  was 
parting,  its  dark,  restless  masses  glowing  in  the 
lurid,  wavering  torchlight,  looking  literally  like 
waves ;  and,  passing  through  them,  came  horse- 
men, stamped  with  the  splendid  signet  of  battle, 
their  wounded  horses  and  bullet-torn  uniforms, 
bringing  cries  of  love  and  thanks  from  those  for 
whom  they  had  been  battling.  When  they  halted 
before  the  door,  and  the  sudden  ring  and  flash  of 
their  drawn  sabres  added  new  beauty  to  the 
picture,  I  think  only  the  heart  of  a  Haman  could 
have  failed  to  respond  to  the  truth  and  beauty  of 

the   whole    scene Before  getting  the 

General's  request  for  a  flag  for  them,  I  had  already 
had  one  made,  and  they  came  in  the  morning  to 
receive  it.  By  day  their  war-worn  appearance 
was  still  more  touching.  As  I  looked,  how  I  wish- 
ed '  that  I  might  utter  the  thoughts  that  arose  in 
me/  but  I  could  only  ask  Major  Zagonyi  to  say 


THE    CAMPAIGN    IN    MISSOUEI.  49 

for  me  how  I  felt  the  honor  they  had  brought  on 
our  name,  and  that  they  would  find  I  did  not  for- 
get them." 

A  few  days  afterwards,  the  body  guard  were 
again  drawn  up  in  front  of  General  Fremont's 
quarters,  and  as  usual  a  crowd  had  collected  about 
them.  Newhall  was  standing  at  the  head  of  his 
company,  when  an  old  man,  whom  he  thought  he 
recognized  as  the  father  of  one  of  his  men,  stopped 
before  him  and  called  out,  "  Three  cheers  for 
Walter  Newhall !"  Walter's  modesty  was,  as  we 
have  said,  one  of  his  strongest  characteristics,  but 
he  was  usually  calm  and  self-possessed.  This  un- 
expected tribute,  however,  came  upon  him  so  sud- 
denly that  he  was  lost  in  confusion,  and  as  the 
hearty  cheers  rang  through  the  air  he  could  not 
raise  his  eyes  from  the  ground,  which,  as  he  after- 
wards said,  he  was  silently  invoking  to  open  and 
swallow  him.  He  had  a  horror  of  noise  and 
notoriety,  and  on  learning  that  his  letter  from  the 
battle-field  had  found  its  way  into  the  newspapers, 
he  wrote  home  remonstrating  with  his  family  for 
allowing  it  to  be  published,  and  entreating  that 
nothing  of  the  sort  might  ever  occur  again. 

When  the  orders  relieving  General  Fremont 
were  received,  Major  Zagonyi,  with  his  impulsive 
temper  and  his  enthusiastic  admiration  for  his 
chief,  had  but  one  idea,  that  the  officers  of  the 
body  guard  should  resign,  as  a  tribute  of  respect. 


50  WALTER    S.    NEWH  ALL. 

Most  of  them  caught  his  spirit,  and  wrote  their 
resignations.  When  he  mentioned  the  subject  to 
Newhall,  the  young  man  replied  firmly,  "K"o,  I 
took  up  arms  in  the  service  of  my  country,  and  I 
will  not  lay  them  down  for  any  personal  feeling. 
The  war  is  not  ended,  and  I  must  seek  employment 
elsewhere."  His  friend  and  true  brother  in  arms, 
Charles  Treichel,  (another  of  the  Chestnut  Hill 
company,)  gave  the  same  answer,  and  the  Major 
carried  their  replies  and  the  resignation  of  the  rest 
to  the  General.  The  latter  had  known  nothing  of 
their  intention,  and  would  not  hear  of  it  for  an 
instant.  "  Lieutenants  Newhall  and  Treichel  are 
perfectly  right,"  he  said.  "  Throw  those  resigna- 
tions in  the  fire." 

After  all  their  hard  work  and  brave  deeds,  this 
noble  body  of  men  were  mustered  out  of  the 
service,  "for  words  spoken  at  Springfield,"  as  if 
they  had  brought  disgrace  upon  it.  The  first 
officer  sent  to  disband  them  was  General  Sweeney, 
a  one-armed  veteran  of  the  Mexican  war.  On  see- 
ing them  parade  in  their  tattered  uniforms,  he  was 
so  much  moved  that  he  dashed  the  tears  from  his 
eye  with  his  empty  sleeve,  and  said,  "  he  would  be 
d — d  if  he  mustered  such  troops  out  of  the  ser- 
vice." General  Sturgis,  to  whom  the  ungrateful 
task  was  next  assigned,  saw  them  drawn  up  for 
inspection,  and  was  equally  struck  with  their  gal- 
lant appearance.  He  said  that  if  the  Government 


THE    CAMPAIGN    IN    MISSOURI.  51 

wanted  to  lose  such  troops,  it  must  send  some  one 
else  to  muster  them  out.  But  the  fiat  had  gone 
forth  and  must  be  obeyed.  It  is  worthy  of  note 
that  not  a  twelvemonth  later,  when  the  General 
by  whose  order  this  was  done,  in  the  hour  of  his 
greatest  need,  on  the  night  before  the  battle  of 
Malvern  Hill,  called  for  volunteers  for  service  of 
extreme  peril,  the  two  who  were  found  to  help  him 
in  his  straits  were  officers  of  this  very  guard. 

Newhall,  of  course,  thought  the  fate  of  the  body 
guard  very  hard,  but  only  said  again  they  had 
done  their  best,  and  that  he  would  not  part  with 
his  share  of  the  glory,  for  the  world.  He  was  then 
commissioned  as  captain  of  a  new  cavalry  regi- 
ment to  be  raised  in  the  West ;  but  seeing  no 
prospect  of  success  in  recruiting,  and  chafing  under 
the  delay  of  forming  a  new  regiment,  he  soon  took 
leave  of  the  brave  comrades  with  whom  he  had 
made  this  short  and  brilliant  campaign,  and  re- 
turned to  his  home.  He  at  once  applied  himself 
to  obtaining  a  position  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
in  wrhich  he  finally  succeeded,  early  in  January, 
1862.  He  then  received  a  commission  as  first 
lieutenant  in  the  Third  Pennsylvania  Cavalry. 


52  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE        PENINSULA. 

"  Out  'twixt  the  battery-smokes  there  flew 

A  rider,  bound  on  bound 
Full  galloping,   nor  bridle  drew 
Until  he  reached  the  mound." 

"When  lost  was  the  eighth  battle, 
Nor  heart  nor  hope  had  they." 

"  WASHINGTON,  January  13th,  1862.  This  is 
a  first-class  regiment,  under  command  of  Colonel 
Averell,  an  able  and  energetic  commander,  and  I 
would  rather  take  a  first  lieutenancy  under  him, 
than  a  captaincy  under  a  man  whom  the  Govern- 
ment would  not  trust  in  any  important  duty.  I 
hope  you  will  not  consider  it  any  disgrace  to  take 
a  step  backwards,  under  the  circumstances,  as  it 
would,  I  am  sure,  be  more  gratifying  to  be  promo- 
ted to  fill  a  vacancy,  than  be  forced  into  position." 

That  first  winter  was  very  trying  in  every  way 
to  the  troops  about  Washington.  There  was  all 
the  hardship  of  military  life  without  any  of  its  ex- 
citement. The  roads  were  at  best  mere  bogs  and 
often  dangerous  quagmires,  and  drilling  was  nearly 
impossible,  especially  for  cavalry.  There  was  the 
miserable  monotony  of  the  camp,  with  its  disa- 


THE    PENINSULA.  53 

greeable  duties,  unenlivened  by  that  which  makes 
it  tolerable  during  a  campaign,  the  state  of  the 
roads  depriving  the  officers  even  of  the  pleasure  of 
riding ;  and  as  a  relief  from  this  there  was  Wash- 
ington close  at  hand,  with  all  the  temptations  of 
mixed  but  very  amusing  society,  and  dissipation  of 
every  sort.  It  was  but  a  step  from  the  muddy, 
dreary  encampment,  where  men  grew  tired  of 
seeing  the  same  faces,  to  the  hotel  parlors,  warm 
and  bright,  crowded  with  gay,  idle  people,  seeking 
diversion,  the  women  dazzled  and  delighted  by  the 
uniforms,  and  some  of  them  never  content  unless 
surrounded  by  a  full  staff  of  officers.  Of  course  the 
young  men  found  this  drawing-room  duty  pleasanter 
than  picket,  and  after  they  had  been  fluttered  to 
the  top  of  their  bent  for  a  whole  evening,  the  way 
out  of  the  hotel  led  them  through  the  bar-room, 
and  thence  it  was  not  far  to  worse  resorts.  Many 
resisted  bravely  and  made  use  of  their  inaction  to 
familiarize  themselves  with  the  detail  of  the  drill 
and  manual,  and  to  study  tactics.  It  is  almost 
needless  to  say  that  Newhall  was  one  of  this  class. 
His  camp  was  on  the  further  side  of  the  Potomac, 
nearly  three  miles  from  the  Chain  Bridge,  where  he 
had  not  even  the  chance  of  seeing  his  elder  brother, 
(another  member  of  the  Chestnut  Hill  company,) 
who  was  encamped  with  his  regiment,  the  Sixth 
Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  otherwise  known  as  the 
Lancers,  on  Meridian  Hill,  two  miles  from  Wash- 


54  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

ington,  in  an  opposite  direction.  He  stuck  to  his 
camp,  and  did  much  to  keep  up  the  tone  of  his  mess 
by  his  own  devotion  to  duty,  and  everlasting  fun. 
"  To  be  jolly  under  creditable  circumstances," 
seemed  to  be  his  motto,  and  he  managed  to  send 
home  frequent  letters,  full  of  laughable  descriptions 
of  camp-life  and  illustrated  with  spirited  carica- 
tures ;  for  he  had  a  clever  pencil  as  well  as  a  keen 
eye  for  the  ridiculous. 

And  so  the  weary  months  wore  on,  until  the 
night  of  the  9th  of  March,  when  the  order  to 
advance  was  given.  All  through  the  dark  hours 
between  midnight  and  dawn,  the  city  was  alive  with 
mounted  orderlies,  dashing  about  at  full  speed, 
carriages. driving  rapidly  to  and  from  the  houses  of 
the  different  generals,  officers  rushing  wildly  in 
every  direction,  some  to  their  camps  to  hasten  the 
preparations,  others  home  to  take  leave  of  their 
families,  many  of  whom  were  passing  the  winter  in 
Washington.  From  early  dawn  the  sound  of  bugle- 
calls,  the  continuous  tread  of  men,  the  tramp  and 
splash  of  horses,  the  rumble  of  wheels,  were  heard 
incessantly  passing  along  the  streets,  and  all  day 
long  an  endless  procession  of  artillery,  cavalry, 
infantry,  ambulances,  and  white-covered  baggage- 
wagons,  each  with  its  six  mules,  were  passing 
through  the  city  from  every  quarter,  and  converg- 
ing towards  the  Long  Bridge.  A  general  move- 
ment and  agitation  pervaded  the  place.  On  the 


THE    PENINSULA.  55 

sidewalks  were  groups  of  ladies,  whose  pale  faces 
quivered  with  excitement,  watching  the  regiments 
go  by  ;  not  one  but  had  a  father,  brother,  husband, 
or  lover  in  them,  and  many  friends.  The  orderlies 
were  still  galloping  furiously  up  and  down,  and 
there  were  a  number  of  men  in  uniform  about 
General  McClellan's  headquarters.  A  crowd  gradu- 
ally gathered  there  to  see  the  General  and  his  bril- 
liant staff  ride  off.  But  after  some  hours  it  became 
known  that  he  had  ridden  quietly  away  from  his 
own  house,  with  a  couple  of  orderlies,  and  was 
already  on  the  further  side  of  the  Potomac.  To- 
wards evening,  the  commotion  subsided.  A  few 
companies  of  infantry  were  still  marching  towards 
Georgetown,  but  the  cannon  and  horsemen  had 
disappeared,  the  people  had  gone  back  to  their 
houses,  and  the  camps,  which  had  been  whitening 
the  hills  about  Washington  all  winter,  had  vanished 
like  snow.  Colonel  Averell's  regiment,  the  Third 
Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  had  been  in  the  very  ad- 
vance. Newhall  writes: 

"  Camp  Marcy,  March  10th,  3  A.  M.  We  com- 
mence a  grand  advance  this  morning.  The  whole 
army  moves  forward.  The  Third  Pennsylvania 
Cavalry  has  the  post  of  honor.  We  scouted  yester- 
day in  the  neighborhood  of  Fairfax  Court-house, 
without  seeing  any  Secesh.  The  impression  is  that 
the  enemy  have  fallen  back.  After  an  hour's  sleep 
I  was  called  to  the  Colonel's  tent,  and  told  to  be 


56  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

ready  for  a  forward  move  by  3  o'clock  A.  M. 
Of  course  we  were  all  on  hand,  and  my  company 
being  of  the  first  squadron,  we  furnished  the  ad- 
vance guard.  Arrived  first  at  Fairfax,  then  at 
Centreville,  at  which  latter  place,  although  to  all 
appearance  strongly  fortified  and  occupied  by 
troops,  my  first  sergeant  and  two  privates  were  all 
over  the  fortifications  and  the  town  before  the  rest 
of  the  army  came  up.  They  had  logs  in  the  port- 
holes and  sticks  stuck  into  the  ground,  which  at 
a  distance,  assisted  by  our  imaginations,  looked 
like  guns  and  men.  At  Centreville  our  men  fell 
asleep,  and  when  we  started  for  Manassas  in  the 
afternoon,  were  a  little  behindhand,  and  were 
obliged  to  get  in  the  rear  of  the  leading  squadron, 
so  that  we  were  the  second  company  into  Man- 
assas Junction ;  but  my  second  lieutenant  and  my- 
self thought  we  would  like  to  have  something  to 
talk  about,  so  we  went  ahead,  and  were  among  the 
first  to  enter  the  famous  place.  It  was  quite  dark, 
however,  and  we  couldn't  see  much,  and  fortunately 
it  was  obscure  enough  to  prevent  the  Colonel  from 
seeing  us.  I  passed  a  very  comfortable  night  in  a 
Secesh  tent.  We  don't  feel  quite  so  stupid  as  one 
does  after  a  hearty  meal  at  Willard's.  We  break- 
fasted this  morning  on  pork  and  crackers,  and  for 
a  change  will  dine  on  same,  if  it  holds  out.  We 
are  having  first-rate  times,  and  everybody  says, 
1  Secesh  is  played  out.'  ' 


THE    PENINSULA.  57 

"  Fairfax,  March  12th.  We  returned  from  Cen- 
treville  this  morning.  Don't  think  we  shall  return 
to  Manassas,  as  there's  nobody  there.  Our  com- 
pany furnished  the  advance  guard,  capturing  five 
Secesh,  three  wagons  marked  C.  S.  A.,  and  eight 
horses." 

"  Camp  Marcy,  March  15th.  We  returned  to 
our  old  camp  last  night.  We  marched  so  slow  and 
halted  so  often,  one  of  our  prisoners  said  we  must 
be  a  part  of  the  standing  army.  Some  man  very 
kindly  gave  me  four  crackers.  If  I  find  out  who  he  is 

1  will  certainly  recommend  him  for  promotion,  for 
he  saved  me  from  starving.     We  are  under  march- 
ing orders,  probably  for  Alexandria,  to  embark  for 
the  South." 

"  March  22d.  Marched  to  Alexandria." 

"  March  30th.  Embarked  on  the  24th  for  Fort- 
ress Monroe.  Landed  at  Hampton." 

"  April  6th.  In  front  of  Yorktown.  We  reach- 
ed our  present  position  this  morning.  Immediately 
the  artillery  opened  on  the  enemy's  fortifications, 
and  we  have  been  surrounded  by  a  line  of  fire  all 
day. 

"  The  hard  fighting  is  being  done  on  our  left.    At 

2  o'clock  the  enemy  charged  on  one  of  our  bat- 
teries, but  couldn't  stand  the  impetuous  counter  by 
the  62d  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  Colonel  Black. 
It's  no  use ;  they  may  as  well  fall  back  at  once. 
This  army  can't   be  beaten.     We    are   gradually 

5 


58  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

drawing  the  line  around  them,  and  if  they  are  not 
off  soon,  it  will  be  too  late.  Nobody  hurt  in  our 
regiment,  though  shells  have  been  bursting  about 
us  all  day.  Our  horses  stand  fire  first-rate." 

"  April  10th.  We  moved  back  half  a  mile  last 
night,  to  get  out  of  reach  of  shells,  &c.  No  gene- 
ral engagement  since  Saturday.  Hope  it  will 
commence  soon,  or  we  shall  have  a  very  bad  case  of 
evacuation  after  all.  It  has  been  raining  for  four 
days.  Horses  suffering  for  forage/' 

"April  13th.  We  still  keep  our  distance,  though 
it's  all  right.  Lowe's  balloon  playfully  ran  off  with 

General  two  days  since.     He  cried  lustily 

for  help,  as  he  passed  our  camp  at  the  rate  of  six 
miles  an  hour.  He  fortunately  came  down  in  a 
Federal  camp,  badly  scared,  and  a  little  lame." 

"  April  20th.  We  still  keep  up  our  masterly  in- 
activity, drilling  twice  a  day  in  a  broiling  sun,  and 
those  nearest  the  enemy  dodging  the  shells." 

"  April  22d.  I  placed  our  pickets  yesterday  with- 
in three  hundred  yards  of  the  enemy's  works,  but 
owing  to  rain  and  fog  I  couldn't  see  much." 

"April  26th.  Still  before  Yorktown.  Colonel 
Averell  has  promised  me  that  I  shall  act  as  aid  to 
General  Porter  when  the  bombardment  begins." 

"May  4th.  The  rebels  'last  ditch'  isn't  at 
Yorktown.  They  evacuated  last  night.  We  are 
ordered  to  be  ready  to  march  at  a  moment's  notice. 
Colonel  Averell  is  in  good  spirits,  as  his  regiment 


THE    PENINSULA.  59 

has  the  cavalry  advance.  I  have  been  out  of  sorts 
for  a  few  days,  our  Doctor  trying  to  make  a  sick 
man  of  me.  But  it's  no  go.  I  moved  on  with  the 
regiment,  much  to  the  Doctor's  disappointment,  for 
he  expected  to  have  me  for  a  fever  patient,  and 
insisted  I  was  very  light-headed.  All  went  on 
smoothly  after  leaving  Yorktown  until  the  McClel- 
lan  Dragoons  got  into  a  snarl  with  some  of  Stuart's 
Cavalry,  with  good  intent  enough,  hut  rather  in- 
different success.  Our  squadron  was  ordered  by 
Colonel  Averell  to  dismount  to  fight.  A  battery 
of  artillery  was  ordered  to  the  front ;  a  few  shots 
sent  the  rebel  cavalry  flying.  As  we  came  out  of 
the  woods  the  rebels  were  trying  to  form  in  the 
open  space,  but  the  guns  were  brought  up,  and  we 
soon  had  Stuart's  men  running  like  mad.  I 
was  on  duty  until  12  o'clock  that  night ;  a  pretty 
good  day's  work  for  a  sick  man." 

"May  6th.  Up  and  in  motion  at  five  the  next 
morning,  marching  with  the  advance  artillery  and 
infantry.  Presently  the  artillery  is  ordered  to  the 
front,  and  we  commence  the  famous  battle  of  Wil- 
liamsburg.  It  soon  became  hot  work  for  the  artil- 
lery, and  the  infantry  were  ordered  up  at  double- 
quick.  The  rebels  are  too  many  for  us.  The 
firing  is  constant  all  day.  We  almost  give  way, 
when  Kearney's  brigade  comes  howling  up  the 
road,  and  the  day  is  ours,  after  the  hardest  kind  of 
fighting." 


60  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

His  own  regiment  was  not  actively  engaged,  and 
his  Colonel  allowed  him  to  act  as  aid  to  General 
Heintzelman. 

"  I  found  the  General  in  the  midst  of  the  fight, 
keeping  up  the  spirits  of  the  men.  His  Adjutant- 
General  was  everywhere  at  once,  doing  the  same 
thing.  His  aids  were  all  away  on  various  urgent 
duties.  My  arrival  was  looked  upon  as  quite  an 
event.  I  was  immediately  despatched  to  General 

,  on  the  extreme  left,  with  orders  for  him  to 

attack  at  once  with  all  his  force.  You  may  imagine 
how  I  put  things  through  on  such  an  occasion.  I 
cut  through  hospitals  and  woods,  and  yet  it  seemed 
as  if  I  never  would  get  there.  I  most  certainly 
thought  the  attack  should  be  made  right  off,  and  I 
acted  accordingly.  At  last  I  found  the  General 
sitting  on  his  horse  half  asleep.  I  repeated  Gene- 
ral Heintzelman's  orders.  '  Will  you  be  good 
enough  to  ride  a  short  distance  with  me,'  he  said, 
and  then  tried  to  explain  to  me  that  the  brigade 
had  just  reported  to  him,  that  the  men  and  roads 
were  new  to  him,  &c.,  which  only  disgusted  me. 
I  repeated  to  him  General  Heintzelman's  positive 
orders,  told  him  a  prompt  execution  of  them  would 
certainly  turn  this  flank,  and  added, i  These  men  are 
American  soldiers,  and  will  go  wherever  they  are 
properly  led.  I  will  report  to  (jeneral  Heintzel- 
man that  you  are  moving  rapidly,'  and  I  left  him. 
Would  you  believe  he  never  made  an  attack  !  and 


THE    PENINSULA.  61 

if  Kearney  hadn't  come  up  just  as  he  did,  we 
should  have  lost  the  fight.  As  it  was,  we  occupied 
the  field.  At  night,  I  was  left  in  charge  of  a  road 
in  the  neighborhood,  and  could  hear  the  groans  of 
the  wounded.  Of  course,  I  passed  a  sleepless  night, 
in  a  pouring  rain.  In  the  morning  early,  we  were 
relieved,  and  heard  the  good  news  that  the  rebels 
had  left.  We  started  on  after  our  regiment  with- 
out breakfast,  caught  up  at  the  rebel  works,  and 
proceeded  immediately  to  Williamsburg,  where  I 
was  made  officer  of  the  guard,  and  not  relieved 
until  6  P.  M.,  when  I  got  something  to  eat,  took 
to  sleep  most  vigorously,  and  woke  up  this  morning 
as  bright  and  fresh  as  a  lark.  All  these  little  de- 
mands on  my  strength  seem  to  benefit  me,  as  I 
never  felt  better  in  my  life." 

"  May  12th.  The  army  is  moving  along  slowly. 
The  advance  is  within  sixteen  miles  of  Richmond." 

"  May  17th.  We  shall  not  move  for  a  few  days. 
Roads  in  a  fearful  condition." 

"Baltimore  Stores,  May  22d.  Our  advance  is 
within  six  miles  of  Richmond.  We  were  scouting 
a  day  or  two  ago ;  one  of  our  orderlies  missed  us, 
and  mistaking  the  road,  got  within  sight  of  Rich- 
mond. He  wasn't  long  in  making  a  straight  line 
back." 

"  Near  New  Bridge,  May  26th.  Colonel  Averell 
keeps  his  regiment  at  work.  Two  of  our  squad- 
rons left  camp  this  morning  at  6  o'clock,  arrived 


62  WALTER     S.    NEWHALL. 

at  the  outposts  about  9,  advanced  up  the  Nine- 
mile  Road,  drove  in  the  enemy's  pickets,  killing 
one.  The  rebels  were  in  full  force.  They  paraded 
about  five  hundred  infantry,  two  squadrons  of 
cavalry,  and  a  section  of  artillery,  with  which  they 
opened  on  us  at  about  a  thousand  yards.  While 
they  were  getting  the  guns  into  position  we  took  a 
sketch  of  the  surrounding  country,  saw  a  part  of 
Richmond,  and  having  posted  our  pickets  advanta- 
geously, withdrew  at  the  critical  moment.  They 
threw  ten  shells  right  into  us,  doing  no  harm.  They 
are  very  innocent  little  things,  as  far  as  I  know. 
At  the  moment,  an  order  came  up  from  General 
McClellan,  not  to  provoke  a  general  engagement. 
Three  regiments  of  infantry  came  up  to  hold  the 
ground  we  had  gained.  I  had  the  honor  of  being 
in  command  of  the  advance  guard,  and  it  was  one 
of  my  men  who  despatched  the  rebel.  Our  special 
correspondent  will  no  doubt  make  a  great  thing  of 
it,  as  I  saw  him  collecting  items  from  some  of  the 
command." 

"  May  30th.  Three  or  four  squadrons  just  going 
on  a  scout." 

"  Camp  near  New  Bridge,  June  1st.  Very  heavy 
fighting  on  our  left  flank  yesterday."  (Fair  Oaks.) 
"  Report  gives  us  a  decided  advantage.  At  the 
opening  of  the  action  our  forces  were  driven  back 
two  miles,  but  being  reinforced,  the  boys  did  their 
work  handsomely,  and  now  occupy  the  battle-field. 


THE     PENINSULA.  63 

The  fight  recommenced  at  7  o'clock  this  A.  M.,  and  as 
we  are  within  earshot  of  the  rattle  of  the  musketry, 
it  is  very  exciting.  No  artillery  has  been  used  this 
morning.  Colonel  Averell  says  that  General  Mc- 
Clellan  thinks  if  the  battle  had  commenced  two 
hours  earlier  yesterday,  we  should  have  marched 
into  Richmond  to-day,  without  opposition.  9  A.  M. 
Heavy  firing  on  our  left  still  continues.  We  all 
wonder  why  they  don't  trot  out  the  artillery." 

"  Savage's  Station,  June.  General  McCall's 
Reserves  came  up  to-day,  but  knowing  ones  say, 
'  No  fighting  for  two  weeks,  unless  pushed  by  the 
rebels.'  ' 

"June  6th.  No  firing  on  either  side  to-day." 

"  Camp  Forage  Station,  June  9th.  We  have 
all  sorts  of  rumors  about  the  evacuation  of  Rich- 
mond, &c.  General  McClellan  is  now  fighting  for 
the  hill  which  overlooks  Richmond.  If  he  can 
once  get  a  footing,  the  business  will  be  soon  settled. 
Any  quantity  of  siege  guns  have  already  gone  up 
the  road." 

"Savage's  Station,  June  19th.  We  have  just 
returned  to  camp,  after  a  four  days'  scout  in  Dixie 
proper.  We  left  here  on  Monday  morning,  at  5 
A.  M.,  and  arrived  at  Whitehouse  about  2  p.  M. 
Encamped  to  feed  horses,  &c.  We  crossed  the 
river  at  dark,  and  stood  to  horse  for  three  hours 
on  the  other  side.  Resumed  the  march  at  5  o'clock 
next  morning.  About  fifteen  miles  out,  the  ad- 


64  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

vance  guard  chased  and  caught  a  rank  Secesh. 
We  confiscated  his  mare,  and  sent  him  to  the  rear, 
a  prisoner.  Our  advance  charged  into  the  small 
town  of  Aylett's,  on  the  Matapony,  capturing  about 
a  dozen  prisoners,  burned  the  bridge  and  a  schooner 
or  two,  seized  a  couple  of  wagons  on  the  road  to  Rich- 
mond, and  returned  without  meeting  the  expected 
rebels.  Same  night  we  encamped  opposite  White- 
house,  having  marched  about  fifty  miles  since  sun- 
rise. We  recrossed  the  river  yesterday  morning, 
remained  all  day  at  Whitehouse,  resting  the  ani- 
mals, and  returned  this  morning  to  camp,  all  well. 
Lieutenant  Rogers,  of  our  regiment,  had  his  horse 
shot  on  picket,  on  Tuesday.  Three  balls  hit  the 
horse,  killing  him  instantly." 

"June  22d.  Yesterday,  our  company  scouted 
the  roads  leading  to  Richmond,  and  met  the  rebels 
everywhere.  We  didn't  push  the  fighting,  but 
tried  to  draw  them  out  by  rushing  towards  their 
position,  and  then  retreating,  apparently  in  great 
confusion;  but  we  failed  to  excite  their  tempers." 

In  reading  this  narrative,  taken  from  Newhall's 
letters  and  note-book,  written  on  the  spot,  it  is 
curious  to  observe  how  much  in  the  dark  the  in- 
ferior officers  are,  regarding  not  only  projected 
movements,  but  those  which  are  actually  being 
executed.  Here  we  can  see  how  the  army  was  not 
aware  of  the  object  of  its  own  manoeuvres,  and  that 
one  portion  had  no  idea  what  other  portions  were 


THE    PENINSULA.  65 

about,  who  were  hotly  engaged  at  the  very  moment,. 
It  must  be  a  strange  sensation,  for  men  not  brought 
up  in  the  army,  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness 
from  one  hour  to  the  next,  not  knowing  whether 
they  are  to  march  or  not,  nor  whither  they  are 
going  when  actually  on  the  march,  though  it  may 
be  a  question  of  life  and  death  to  each  one.  With 
regular  soldiers,  of  course  this  is  mere  habit ;  with 
volunteers  like  ours,  men  not  accustomed  to  be 
under  authority,  and  to  follow  blindly  and  mecha- 
nically, but  used  to  think  and  act  for  themselves, 
and  know  the  reason  for  every  step  they  take,  such 
obedience  is  deliberate  volition,  and  the  discipline 
of  our  troops  is  surely  a  great  proof  of  their  man- 
liness. 

"  Savage's  Station,  Camp  Lincoln,  June  25th. 
We  have  heard  firing  in  front  this  morning ; 
but  as  the  enemy  can't  get  this  way,  and  we're 
not  ready  to  go  that  way,  I  don't  believe  it  will 
amount  to  much.  Lieutenant  Rogers,  just  arrived 
from  the  advance,  reports  heavy  firing,  and  the 
probability  of  a  big  row.  At  any  rate,  we  don't 
come  into  the  engagement,  there  being  no  place  for 
cavalry  evolutions." 

"  June  27th.  Took  the  following  order  to  Gene- 
ral Woodbury,  to  hasten  building  the  bridge  across 
White  Oak  Swamp : 


bb  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

.  "  <  HEADQUARTERS,  8  P.M.,  June  27th,  1862. 

"  '  To  GENERAL  HEINTZELMAN  : 

"  '  The  General  commanding  directs  you  to  send 
an  officer  at  once  to  White  Oak  Swamp,  with  in- 
structions to  say  to  General  Woodbury,  who  was 
sent  there  this  afternoon,  that  the  General  orders 
the  bridges  he  is  to  construct  across  the  swamp  to 
be  pushed  to-night  with  all  possible  rapidity.  Let 
the  officer  you  send  bring  back  General  Woodbury's 
reply.  No  time  is  to  be  lost. 

"'S.  WILLIAMS,  A.  A.  G.'  " 

Newhall  had  the  bump  of  locality,  as  the  phre- 
nologists call  it,  remarkably  developed.  In  riding 
over  a  country,  he  seized  its  prominent  features  as 
if  by  intuition ;  he  comprehended  the  "  lay  of  the 
land,"  and  never  lost  his  bearings.  He  could  not 
only  find  his  way  back  over  a  road  which  he  had 
once  travelled,  but  he  could  find  his  way  back  by 
half  a  dozen  roads  to  the  point  from  which  he  had 
started.  He  was  a  natural  topographer,  and  in 
the  course  of  his  scout  and  picket  duty  gained  a 
knowledge  of  the.  situation  of  every  hill  and  stream, 
the  extent  of  the  woods,  the  depth  of  the  waters, 
and  the  direction  of  all  the  roads  within  the  field 
of  operations.  This  faculty,  or  rather  instinct, 
was  well  known  to  his  superior  officers,  and  stood 
him  in  good  stead  constantly  on  the  Peninsula, 
especially  during  the  terrible  week  which  was  be- 


THE    PENINSULA.  67 

ginning.  On  carrying  the  above  order  to  General 
Woodbury,  the  latter  began  to  give  directions  for 
sounding  the  swamp,  in  order  to  sink  the  piles. 
Time  pressed ;  the  enemy  was  advancing,  the  danger 
was  imminent ;  every  moment  was  precious.  New- 
hall  interposed,  and  gave  the  depth  at  various 
distances,  which  he  knew  from  occasionally  cross- 
ing it.  He  was  so  positive  and  minute  in  his 
details  on  these  points  that  the  General  ordered 
the  work  to  proceed  without  further  inquiry. 
Newhall  arrived  at  General  Woodbury 's  at  10 
o'clock  P.M.  The  bridge  was  finished  at  sunrise. 
Then  followed  the  seven  days'  fight,  through  which 
we  need  not  follow  our  army  in  its  disastrous  re- 
treat, until,  broken,  shattered,  but  undaunted,  they 
found  themselves  once  more  in  safety  on  the  banks 
of  the  James  River,  presenting  an  impregnable 
front  to  the  enemy.  Newhall  writes  from  Har- 
rison's Landing,  July  3d : 

"  We  arrived  here  last  night,  all  right,  having 
acted  through  the  day  as  rear-guard  of  the  army. 
For  the  last  five  days  we  have  lived  on  excitement 

and  a  few  crackers At  2  A.  M.  on 

Saturday  the  army  was  in  motion,  and  the  wagons 
had  mostly  crossed  by  afternoon.  Our  regiment 
crossed  at  daylight.  At  about  11  A.  M.  I  was  sent 
to  General  Heintzelman  to  pilot  him  across  the 
swamp,  which  was  done  about  dark 


68  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

The  enemy  effected  a  crossing  at  Woodbury's 
bridge  early  on  Sunday  morning,  and  a  strong 
force  came  down  Charles  City  Road,  and  a  general 
engagement  throughout  the  day  was  the  conse- 
quence. Our  regiment  was  ordered  to  General 
Fitz-John  Porter,  and  we  were  obliged  to  pass 
along  the  Newmarket  Road  under  a  strong  fire 
of  artillery,  which  was  mostly  too  high  to  do  us 
any  hurt.  At  7  o'clock,  a  regiment  of  rebel 
cavalry  came  charging  down  Newmarket  Road 
after  our  pickets,  but  a  section  of  artillery  opened 
on  them,  throwing  them  into  the  greatest  confu- 
sion, during  which  two  of  our  companies  dashed 
at  them  splendidly,  killing  and  wounding  several, 
and  taking  about  sixty  prisoners,  with  a  loss  of 
only  one  killed  and  two  wounded.  When  we  ar- 
rived on  James  River  (Fitz-John  Porter's  left),  the 
rebels  had  just  commenced  an  attack  on  the  Gene- 
ral, who  replied  handsomely,  silencing  their  bat- 
teries in  less  than  two  hours.  In  the  meantime, 
our  regiment  was  supporting  batteries,  driving  up 
stragglers,  and  keeping  the  roads  open." 

Newhall  was  constantly  engaged  during  the 
whole  week.  On  this  night,  the  eve  of  the  battle 
of  Malvern  Hill,  he  performed  an  act  of  signal 
daring,  which  well  deserves  to  be  recorded.  Frank- 
lin and  Heintzelman  were  left  at  different  points 
to  protect  the  retreat,  and  by  evening,  when  the 
rest  of  the  army  had  reached  the  James  River, 


THE    PENINSULA.  69 

nothing  had  been  heard  from  them.  General  Mc- 
Clellan  asked  for  volunteers  to  carry  despatches  to 
the  missing  Generals,  as  the  service  was  one  of 
extreme  danger,  the  communication  probably  being 
cut  off.  Colonel  Averell  said  he  knew  two  officers 
in  his  regiment  who  would  undertake  it,  and  the 
mission  was  eagerly  accepted  by  Lieutenants  New- 
hall  and  Treichel.  Newhall  was  to  report  to  Gene- 
ral Franklin,  and  at  once  took  the  road  to  the  White 
Oak  Swamp  bridge,  attended  by  two  orderlies.  It 
is  impossible  for  one  who  has  not  been  in  the  field 
to  fancy  the  danger  and  difficulty  of  the  enterprise. 
The  fatigue  of  the  previous  week  had  been  exces- 
sive ;  he  had  travelled  the  road  but  once,  fighting  and 
falling  back  with  the  rest  of  the  forces,  which  must 
have  left  him  little  leisure  to  note  the  landmarks ; 
and,  moreover,  the  aspect  of  things  had  entirely 
changed  within  a  few  hours.  It  was  after  nightfall, 
the  road  was  blocked  with  troops,  artillery,  and 
wagons ;  the  nearer  camp-fires  blinded  the  messen- 
ger with  their  glare,  the  distant  ones  flickered  like 
ignesfatui,  bewildering  him  by  their  number.  When 
beyond  our  lines,  the  chances  of  meeting  the  enemy 
in  force  were  a  thousand  to  one,  and  those  of  fall- 
ing in  with  scouts,  or  pickets,  or  detached  parties, 
still  greater.  On  reaching  the  bridge  ,at  White 
Oak  Swamp  he  found  that  General  Franklin  was 
already  on  the  retreat  up  the  Nine-mile  Road,  tow- 
ards the  James  River,  leaving  every  thing  that  could 


70  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

not  be  carried  away,  in  flames.  Newhall  galloped 
on,  leaving  the  blaze  of  the  burning  stores  behind, 
through  the  darkness  beyond.  He  overtook  the 
General  about  six  miles  from  the  bridge,  delivered 
his  message,  received  the  reply,  and  immediately 
turned  his  horse's  head,  to  go  back  by  the  way  by 
which  he  had  come.  General  Franklin  assured  him 
it  would  be  impossible  to  return,  that  the  road  was 
already  in  possession  of  the  enemy ;  but  he  resolved 
to  attempt  it,  and  struck  across  the  country.  He 
was  stopped  by  a  swamp,  and  knowing  that  no  time 
was  to  be  lost;,  he  boldly  made  for  the  road  again, 
and  pressed  on  at  full  speed  through  the  increas- 
ing darkness,  losing  one  of  his  orderlies  altogether, 
and  almost  leaving  the  other  behind.  He  recrossed 
the  bridge  in  safety,  but  immediately  afterwards 
rode  into  an  encampment,  which  he  could  not  re- 
member having  seen  when  he  passed  three  hours 
before.  He  reined  in  his  horse,  and  asked  one  of 
the  soldiers  what  his  regiment  was.  The  man  re- 
plied, "We  are  Mississippi  troops,"  in  a  suspicious 
tone,  and  at  the  same  moment  another  thrust  a 
flaming  torch  almost  into  Newhall's  face  to  see 
"who  was  riding  about  at  that  time  of  night." 
But  he  managed  to  push  by  without  raising  any 
alarm,  till  stopped  by  a  third,  who  challenged  him 
as  he  passed.  With  perfect  coolness,  he  assumed 
an  authoritative  tone,  and  asked  if  the  other  was 


THE    PENINSULA.  71 

a  Mississippian.  "Yes,"  was  the  reply.  "Then 
hold  your  position,"  said  Newhall,  and  galloped  on. 
For  nearly  a  mile  his  road  lay  through  the  camps 
and  hospitals  of  the  enemy,  and  some  new  obstacle 
arose  and  the  risk  increased  every  instant.  At 
last  he  was  suddenly  brought  to  a  halt  by  a  sentry, 
who  put  a  pistol  to  his  head  and  ordered  him  to 
dismount,  and  not  speak  above  a  whisper.  New- 
hall  at  once  complied,  endeavoring  to  pass  himself 
off  for  a  Mississippian,  at  which,  to  his  extreme 
mystification,  the  soldier  observed,  "  That's  a  good 
joke!"  but  in  another  moment  he  discovered  that 
his  captor  was  one  of  our  own  pickets.  The  man 
would  not  believe  it,  struck  a  light,  and  detained 
him  for  half  an  hour,  but  at  last  reluctantly  let  him 
go,  half- minded  to  shoot  him,  out  of  disappointment. 
Newhall  hurried  on,  and  finally  reached  headquar- 
ters. He  found  General  McClellan  on  horseback, 
anxiously  awaiting  his  return.  He  delivered  Gene- 
ral Franklin's  report,  which  was  the  first  news  that 
had  been  received  from  him,  and  was  warmly  thank- 
ed by  McClellan,  who  assured  him  that  his  service 
would  not  be  forgotten.  But  it  was  of  the  greatest 
importance  that  a  second  message  should  reach 
General  Franklin,  and  General  McClellan  asked  if 
he  would  attempt  it  again.  Newhall  replied  that 
Franklin  had  said  it  would  be  impossible  even  to 
return  the  first  time,  but  that  he  was  willing  to 
try.  He  got  a  fresh  horse,  and  set  off  a  second 


72  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

time,  alone:  "As  everybody  said  I'd  be  taken, 
and  I  thought  that  one  was  enough  for  that  pur- 
pose. It  was  3  o'clock  A.  M.  when  I  got  fairly 
on  the  road  again,  and  having  almost  seven  miles 
to  go  before  reaching  the  fork  at  the  bridge,  I  made 
the  horse  put  out  his  best  foot  first,  and  arrived  in 
the  neighborhood  just  before  daybreak.  I  rode 
slowly  for  a  short  distance  before  reaching  the 
turning-point,  to  give  the  beast  a  few  miles  of  fresh 
wind  and  legs,  in  case  I  had  to  run  the  firing.  I 
gave  him  the  spur  in  time  to  get  up  a  pretty  fair 
'home  stretch' just  as  we  were  passing  the  most 
dubious  place.  My  horse  caved  in  just  after  getting 
me  out  of  harm's  way,  and  I  dismounted  to  rest  us 
both.  I  had  been  here  about  five  minutes,  when 
the  enemy  commenced  shelling  the  woods  in  front 
of  the  bridge,  and  finding  the  coast  clear,  came 
thundering  over  the  bridge  and  up  the  hill  with  a 
cheer.  I  didn't  stop  to  ask  any  questions,  and 
followed  the  General,  who  arrived  at  General  Mc- 
Clellan's  headquarters  just  as  I  caught  him." 

General  Franklin,  acting  on  the  first  order,  had 
anticipated  the  second.  After  all  the  fatigue, 
anxiety,  want  of  food  and  loss  of  sleep,  of  the  pre- 
ceding week,  NewhaH's  head  had  been  cool  and 
clear  enough  for  such  exciting  work,  and  he  had 
ridden  sixty-four  miles,  between  dusk  and  dawn  in 
the  short  summer's  night,  beset  with  perils -of  every 
sort.  He  made  light  of  this  feat,  as  of  everything 


THE    PENINSULA.  73 

he  did  ;  but  it  was  remembered  long  afterwards,  by 
those  who  had  no  personal  interest  in  him,  as  one 
of  the  most  gallant  exploits  of  the  campaign. 

"  Colonel  Averell  was  to-day  promoted  to  a  Briga- 
dier General,  and  has  charge  of  all  the  cavalry  of 
the  Army  of  the  Po.tomac." 

"  July  5th.  Something  is  on  foot,  and  we  expect 
to  be  off  in  a  day  or  two,  just  resting  our  horses 
now." 

"  July  9th.  The  enemy  have  withdrawn  their 
pickets  from  the  neighborhood  of  Charles  City 
Road.  I  have  been  engaged  for  three  days  in 
making  a  grand  map  of  the  surrounding  country, 
position  of  the  gunboats,  &c.,  to  be  forwarded  to 
General  McClellan." 

"  July  13th.  Have  been  out  all  day  making  maps 
of  the  country,  and  am  hard  at  work  making  them 
4  look  pretty.'  ' 

"  July  16th.  No  news  whatever  in  the  military 
line.  I  see  by  the  paper  that  some  one  at  Fortress 
Monroe  has  been  making  a  fool  of  himself,  writing 
about  my  adventure  in  communicating  with  General 
Franklin." 

Here  his  hatred  of  notoriety  came  out  again. 
But  he  was  not  destined  to  hear  the  last  of  this 
adventure.  A  few  days  later  he  received  a  letter 
from  a  gentleman  at  the  North,  requesting  a  cir- 
cumstantial account  of  his  carrying  the  message  to 
General  Franklin,  to  be  inserted  in  a  work  entitled, 
6 


74  WALTER    S.    NEW  HALL. 

'The  Heroic  Men  and  Actions  of  the  War,'  and 
begging  for  any  incidents  of  the  battle  of  Malvern 
Hill,  and  personal  descriptions  of  the  Generals, 
which  he  could  give.  Newhall's  sense  of  the  ludi- 
crous was  roused  by  the  idea  of  figuring  among  the 
heroic  men  of  the  war.  and  he  wrote  a  long  narra- 
tive, in  the  true  Munchausen  vein,  interspersed  with 
caricatures  of  the  different  Generals.  On  second 
thought,  however,  he  did  not  send  it,  but  replied 
civilly,  though  briefly,  that  he  had  only  done  his 
duty,  and  did  not  consider  his  service  of  sufficient 
importance  or  interest  to  the  public  to  merit  a  place 
in  the  proposed  work. 

He  passed  the  rest  of  that  sad  summer  on  the 
James  River,  constantly  engaged  in  making  maps 
of  the  adjacent  country,  for  the  use  of  the  command- 
ing General.  He  had  never  studied  topography, 
but  his  talent  for  drawing,  combined  with  his  power 
of  comprehending  the  exact  position  of  every  stream 
and  hill  in  a  tract  of  country,  made  his  maps  of 
great  value.  He  wrote  many  bright  letters  home  ; 
for,  amid  all  his  occupations  and  distractions,  he 
never  for  a  moment  forgot  those  whose  anxious 
thoughts  were  following  him  from  afar,  with  the 
love  and  solicitude  that  cannot  be  written  or  told. 
He  was  not  fond  of  writing,  but  in  the  midst  of  the 
most  trying  campaigns,  in  the  heat  of  summer  and 
cold  of  winter,  at  any  hour  of  the  busy  day  or  weary 


THE    PENINSULA.  75 

night,  lie  would  snatch  a  moment  to  send  a  few 
words  of  comfort,  or  some  rapid  sketch,  to  his 
parents  and  brothers. 

On  the  24th  July,  he  writes  :  "  General  Averell 
wants  to  get  up  a  cricket  club  in  the  regiments,  but 
I  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  it,  as  I  am  sure  there 
will  be  a  '  catch'  in  it,  somewhere.  It's  very  agreea- 
ble, for  instance,  to  have  a  quiet  little  game,  but  not 
so  amusing  to  play  all  day  and  then  stand  guard 
all  night,  or  to  get  a  good  crack  on  the  leg  on  one 
day,  and  to  go  on  a  forty-mile  scout  the  next. 
Cricket  and  chemistry  may  work  together  very  well, 
but  what  soldier  ever,  i  stopped  a  ball'  satisfac- 
torily?" 

About  the  middle  of  August  the  army  moved. 
General  Averell's  command  was  with  General  Fitz 
John  Porter's  division,  and  consequently  not  in  the 
next  battles,  but  was  again  acting  as  rear -guard,  and 
constantly  doing  picket  duty  while  in  camp  at  Wil- 
liamsburg.  The  insidious  poison  of  the  climate  had 
slowly  crept  into  Newhall's  veins,  during  these  long, 
hot  months  of  hard  work.  He  had  fought  through 
one  fever,  in  the  beginning  of  the  campaign,  and 
was  now  struggling  with  another.  On  the  29th  of 
August,  he  says:  "  I  have  been  under  the  weather 
lately,  but  owing  to  a  great  scarcity  of  medicine, 
I  am  rapidly  recovering.  Shall  be  here  some  time, 
and  when  shipped,  land  at  Alexandria.  Our  squa- 
dron returned  last  night,  after  two  days'  picket 


76  WALTER    S.   NEWHALL. 

duty.  Probably  there  isn't  a  rebel  soldier  within 
ten  miles." 

Two  days  after  this  cheery  letter,  came  a  tele- 
gram from  Fortress  Monroe,  saying  that  he  was  to 
leave  for  home  the  next  day,  and  begging  his  father 
to  meet  him  in  Baltimore.  There  was  not  a  word 
about  being  ill,  but  his  friends  felt  misgivings. 
His  father  was  on  the  wharf  when  the  Bay  Line 
steamer  came  in,  and  found  him  on  board,  too  weak 
to  leave  his  berth.  He  put  him  into  good  hands  in 
Baltimore,  and  went  to  Washington  by  the  next 
train,  to  get  a  sick-leave.  Fortunately  there  was 
no  delay,  and  he  returned  to  Baltimore  the  same 
afternoon,  with  the  leave,  and  the  news  of  his  son's 
promotion  to  a  captaincy. 

Newhallwas  so  ill  and  feeble,  that  no  one  thought 
he  would  be  fit  for  service  that  winter,  but  a  month 
at  home  restored  his  strength  wonderfully.  Early 
in  October,  hearing  the  report  that  he  was  to  be 
put  upon  recruiting  duty  in  Philadelphia,  he  in- 
sisted upon  returning  to  camp.  A  younger  brother, 
the  next  in  age  to  himself,  went  with  him,  having 
obtained  a  lieutenancy  in  the  same  regiment. 


THE    FIRST    WINTEK    IN    THE    FIELD.       77 


CHAPTER  Y. 

THE   FIRST   WINTER   IN   THE   FIELD. 

"  The  sharpened  ear,  the  piercing  eye, 
The  quick  resolve  in  danger  nigh  ; 
The  speed,  that  in  the  flight  or  chase 
Outstripped  the  Carib's  rapid  race  ; 
The  steady  brain,  the  sinewy  limb, 
To  leap,  to  climb,  to  dive,  to  swim  ; 
The  iron  frame,  inured  to  bear 
Each  dire  inclemency  of  air, 
Nor  less,  confirmed  to  undergo 
Fatigue's  faint  chill  and  famine's  throe. 
These  arts  he  proved,  his  land  to  save, 
In  peril  oft,  by  land  or  wave." 

THE  autumn  of  1862  was  one  of  constant  alarm 
for  Pennsylvania.  September  had  seen  the  tide  of 
war  surge  up  to  our  borders,  to  be  met  and  turned 
at  Antietam,  and  roll  back  again  on  Maryland  and 
Virginia.  Early  in  October,  Stuart  spread  con- 
sternation among  the  southern  counties.  At  first, 
the  whole  Confederate  army  was  supposed  to  be 
again  advancing,  but  it  turned  out  to  be  only  a 
raid,  though  a  very  brilliant  and  successful  one. 
The  bold  rider  and  his  merry  men  swept  through 
the  rich  valleys  and  quiet  towns,  taking  what  they 
liked,  paying,  when  they  chose,  in  Confederate 


78  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

money — a  quaint  conceit ! — behaved  very  well  for 
moss-troopers,  and  cantered  round  our  whole  army 
and  home  again  ;  leaving  the  fat  farmers  grumbling 
over  their  empty  barns,  and  shutting  their  stable 
doors  after  the  steeds  were  stolen. 

Newhall  joined  his  regiment  at  Hagerstown, 
Maryland,  on  October  3d,  immediately  took  com- 
mand of  his  company,  and  started  with  the  rest  in 
pursuit  of  Stuart. 

"  McConnellsburg,  October  13th.  We  arrived 
here  this  morning,  via  Hancock  and  Harronsville, 
our  object  being  to  cut  the  rebels  off  at  this  point. 
Of  course  they  took  another  road,  and  having  es- 
caped the  other  cavalry  sent  out  after  them,  have 
recrossed  the  Potomac." 

"  Camp  at  Indian  Springs,  October  24th.  We 
left  camp  on  the  18th,  and  marched  to  Clear 
Springs  on  the  same  evening  ;  next  day  our  squa- 
dron moved  across  the  canal  and  river  at  Cherry 
Run  Station,  (Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,)  and 
having  examined  the  neighborhood  of  Hedgesville, 
marched  to  Hancock,  on  the  Virginia  side.  After 
a  rest  of  two  days,  we  were  ordered  to  this  place, 
to  picket  the  roads  in  the  vicinity  and  to  guard  the 
fords.  We  learn  from  the  Union  people  of  Virgi- 
nia, that  Jackson  has  gone  to  Bunker  Hill,  and 
that  the  coming  fight  will  take  place  in  that  neigh- 
borhood. The  rebels  have  about  three  thousand 
men  at  Hedgesville,  mostly  infantry ;  and  if  Jack- 


THE  FIRST  WINTER  IN  THE  FIELD.   79 

son  only  knew  how  afraid  our  officers  are  of  him,  we 
should  be  following  up  another  raid  about  once  a 
week.  What  a  fortunate  thing  that  he's  so  modest ! ' ' 

"  October  26th.  We  are  all  well,  wishing  most 
heartily  to  be  relieved,  and  return  to  camp." 

"  St.  James's  College,  Md.,  October  28th.  Back 
in  camp  again.  People  say,  the  army  is  crossing 
the  Potomac,  and  we  are  on  an  hour's  notice  to 
march." 

"  Camp  at  Berlin,  October  31st.  "We  marched 
here  this  morning  from  Pleasant  Valley,  where 
we  passed  last  night.  Twenty-one  to-day  !  Much 
spree  on  hard  crackers  and  coffee." 

"  Camp  near  Amissville,  Va.,  November  9th.  We 
have  been  very  hard  at  work  since  leaving  camp  at 
St.  James's  College.  We  have  been  driving  Hamp- 
ton and  Stuart  from  all  their  chosen  positions  in  the 
Gaps.  Some  splendid  charging  has  been  made  by 
the  5th  Regulars  and  8th  New  York  Cavalry.  No- 
body hurt  in  our  regiment.  Harry"  (his  youngest 
brother)  "is  made  of  the  proper  material  for  soldier- 
ing, and  a  person  not  acquainted  with  the  facts 
might  suppose  he  had  been  at  it  all  his  life.  Gene- 
ral Averell  has  gone  to  Warrenton  sick,  leaving 
us  under  General  Pleasanton." 

"Waterloo,  November  13th.  We  marched  here 
from  Amissville  yesterday ;  find  no  forage,  and  so 
we  probably  leave  to-day.  All  well,  and,  having 
tents,  are  very  comfortable." 


80  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

"Warrenton,  November  14th.  We  marched 
here  from  Waterloo  this  morning,  and  being  in  a 
first-rate  fence-rail  country,  we  manage  to  keep  the 
weather  out.  Colonel  Mclntosh  takes  charge  of 
our  regiment  to-day.  He  is  a  fine  man  and  a  good 
officer ;  we  have  no  fears  of  being  badly  off  under 
his  command." 

Newhall  writes  as  cheerfully  as  ever,  and  makes 
light  of  the  cold  and  hardships.  Perhaps  in  the 
camp,  men  had  work  enough  to  keep  their  spirits 
up ;  but  in  the  cities,  this  was  a  weary  time.  Du- 
ring the  later  autumn  there  had  been  no  event  of 
importance  or  interest,  except  General  McClellan's 
being  relieved  of  the  command  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  There  was  very  severe  weather,  and  a 
heavy  snow-storm  late  in  November.  The  troops 
were  all  on  the  march,  with  no  shelter,  and  the  way 
blocked  up  before  them  by  the  drifts.  It  all  soon 
disappeared,  however.  The  month  that  followed 
was  singularly  mild  and  lovely,  and  depression 
gradually  gave  way  to  expectation,  as  the  season 
advanced,  and  everybody  knew  that  General  Burn- 
side  would  not  go  into  winter  quarters  without  a 
battle. 

"  Headquarters  Picket,  November  23d.  I  have 
been  from  camp  four  days,  guarding  the  fords  that 
cross  Aquia  Creek,  about  four  miles  from  its  mouth. 
The  creek  cannot  be  forded,  and  there  being  no 
boats  in  the  neighborhood,  I  merely  have  to  watch 


THE  FIRST  WINTER  IN  THE  FIELD.   81 

the  river  and  creek,  and  see  that  they  do  not  leave 
their  beds  some  fine  morning." 

"  Camp  near  Belle  Plains,  November  26th.  We 
are  well  located  on  Potomac  Creek  and  the  Rich- 
mond and  Fredericksburg  Railroad,  about  nine 
miles  from  Aquia  Creek.  All  well.  Tents  and 
stores  in  good  order." 

"December  4th.  Picketing.  Some  of  our  regi- 
ment have  been  caught  lately.  Harry  has  gone 
out  for  three  days,  to  try  his  hand  at  it." 

"  December  6th.  Please  send  me  fifty  pairs 
of  gloves,  good  quality,  strong  and  warm,  for  a 
Christmas  present  for  Company  A.  Army  inactive. 
I  have  been  promoted  to  the  command  of  a  squa- 
dron, and  complimented  by  the  Colonel  for  the 
way  in  which  it  is  handled,  and  am  quite  proud 
of  it." 

"December  7th.  I  relieve  Harry  on  picket 
to-morrow." 

"December  12th.  In  the  field.  We  left  camp 
yesterday  at  an  early  hour,  and  reached  the  battle- 
field at  noon,  but  didn't  participate.  Storming 
not  yet  resumed." 

"  December  14th,  8  A.  M.  Harry  was  sent  to 
Hartwood  Church  on  picket  yesterday.  The  artil- 
lery has  just  opened  the  ball  for  to-day's  work. 
Nothing  gained  yesterday.  Franklin  reported 
doing  well,  and  driving  the  rebels  by  degrees." 

This  was  the  first  battle  of  Fredericksburg, — a 


82  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

name  as  fatal  to  us  as  Bull  Run.  Newhall's  regiment 
was  not 'engaged,  did  not  cross  the  Rappahannock, 
indeed,  and  returned  to  their  camp  at  Belle  Plains 
on  the  16th  of  December.  A  few  days  afterwards 
he  writes : 

"  We  returned  to  camp  yesterday  morning,  hav- 
ing passed  one  day  and  two  nights  in  the  woods,  in 
search  of  our  friends  of  the  other  persuasion,  whom 
we  heard  were  in  the  neighborhood  of  Kelly's  Ford. 
Harry  got  a  bad  tumble,  while  charging  the  rebel 
pickets  down  a  hill,  but  is  all  right  now." 

The  excitement  of  scout  and  picket  duty,  and  the 
various  facilities  for  violent  death  which  their  life 
afforded,  did  not  seem  sufficient  for  these  young 
bloods.  The  officers  of  the  3d  and  6th  Pennsylva- 
nia Cavalry,  which  were  encamped  a  few  miles 
apart,  agreed  to  ride  a  steeple-chase  in  the  holi- 
days. Newhall,  as  usual,  the  hero  of  the  occasion, 
gives  the  following  description  of  it. 

SPORT    IN    CAMP. 

"December  26th.  Fred,"    (his   elder  brother,) 

"  T ,  M ,  D ,  and  E.,"  (officers  of  the 

6th  Pennsylvania  Cavalry),  "  came  over,  and  we 
lunched  at  1  o'clock,  by  way  of  fortifying  ourselves. 
We  were  busy  enough  in  the  forenoon,  putting  up 
hurdles  and  digging  ditches,  but  we  didn't  feel 
tired  when  Officers'  Call  sounded  for  the  officers  to 


THE  FIRST  WINTER  IN  THE  FIELD.   83 

assemble  and  the  track  to  be  cleared.  About  forty- 
had  promised  to  run,  but  the  timid  ones,  (all  who 
had  any  sense,  you  will  say,)  began  to  fall  out,  and 

at  the  word,  'go,'  only  eight  got  away,  Me , 

M ,  B ,  D ,  W ,  T ,  Fred,  and 

myself." 

The  course  was  three-quarters  of  a  mile  round, 
and  the  inside  of  the  track  marked  by  a  series  of 
guidons.  There  were  four  obstacles  to  be  cleared 
in  the  race,  viz. :  first,  a  row  of  four  bales  of  hay, 
with  a  bar  above  them,  the  interval  being  filled  up 
with  brush,  &c.,  the  whole  being  four  feet  and  a 
half  high  ;  secondly,  a  ditch,  five  feet  wide,  with  a 
bank  three  and  a  half  feet  high  on  the  farther  side, 
topped  by  a  horizontal  pole ;  thirdly,  four  bales  of 
hay,  arranged  as  the  first,  but  making  a  leap  of  five 
feet ;  the  last  was  a  pile  of  brush,  six  feet  across, 
and  from  four  to  five  feet  in  height. 

"  We  started  in  good  style,  B ,  Me , 

M ,  and  W ,  slightly  in  advance.  At  No.  1, 

Me 's  horse  jumped  too  soon,  struck  the  hurdle, 

and  away  they  went,  heels  over  head,  Me con- 
siderably bruised.  T 's  horse  refused,  and  bolt- 
ed for  the  camp  of  the  1st  Massachusetts  Cavalry. 
Fred  was  obliged  to  haul  to  one  side,  to  prevent  strik- 
ing Me ,  and  he  lost  quite  a  lot  of  ground  by 

it.  W now  made  the  running,  followed  closely 

by  M ,  B ,  and  D .  B 's  horse  re- 
fused at  the  second  leap,  causing  some  little  delay 


84  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

to  D ,  who  was  right  after  him.     As  we  neared 

the  third,  and   by  far  the  stiffest  jump,   W 

opened  the  gap  between  himself  and  M ,  who 

was  next,  and  cleared  it  beautifully.  D fol- 
lowed M ,  and  my  horse  took  it  at  a  flying  leap, 

which  must  have  measured  twenty-one  feet.  Fred 
now  closed  up  and  passed  me  at  No.  4,  going  like 

the  wind.    W gradually  gained,  up  to  the  third 

guidon,  and  was  twenty  yards  ahead  of  M , 

who  was  next.  All  this  time  my  horse  was  hard 
held,  but  as  we  neared  the  third  guidon,  I  gave  the 

powerful  fellow  his  head,  and  swept  past  D , 

M ,  and  then  Fred,  in  less  time  than  it  takes 

to  tell  it.     I  was  fast  gaining  on  W ,  when  he 

skipped  one  of  the  guidons,  giving  himself  about  a 
hundred  yards.  As  we  swung  around  the  fourth 
guidon,  my  horse  rushed  for  the  Massachusetts 
camp,  and  I  worried  him  considerably  in  regaining 
the  track.  In  getting  back,  I  was  obliged  to  take 
two  ditches,  which  he  didn't  mind  in  the  least. 
W 's  horse  was  now  failing,  and  my  black  keep- 
ing his  original  pace,  soon  brought  us  near  enough 
to  each  other  to  make  it  exceedingly  doubtful  who 
would  win.  You  can  scarcely  imagine  the  excite- 
ment as  we  came  up  the  home  stretch,  my  horse 

gaining  at  every  stride.     W passed  the  score 

about  two  lengths  ahead,  but  handsomely  admitted 
that  he  had  not  kept  the  track,  and  I  was  declared 
the  winner.  Fred  was  second,  M third,  D 


THE    FIRST    WINTER    IN    THE    FIELD.        85 

nowhere.  Me goes  home  this  morning  badly 

hurt." 

"  December  29th.  We  leave  camp  to-morrow 
morning,  to  be  gone  four  days  on  a  scout  or  picket 
duty." 

"  January  2d,  1863.  We  have  just  halted  in  the 
woods  for  the  night,  and  the  General  has  sent  for 
some  forage  and  '  McClellan  pies,'  preparatory  to 
going  somewhere  ;  and  goodness  knows,  we  hope  to 
do  something  to  bring  cavalry  out  of  the  sort  of 
disgrace  into  which  it  has  fallen,  owing  more  to 
somebody  in  Washington  pretending  to  tell  us  at 
what  corner  of  the  street  we  shall  find  the  enemy, 
than  to  inactivity  on  our  part.  The  fact  is,  we  are 
worked  to  death  and  nobody  knows  it,  because 
they  never  let  us  do  anything  for  which  cavalry 
was  intended  by  the  author  of  this  branch  of  the 
service.  The  c  Happy  New  Year'  found  us  on  picket 
on  the  New  Ball's  Road,  after  having  charged 
through  Warrenton  in  good  style.  Four  or  five 
hurt." 

This  is  his  only  mention  of  the  charge  through 
Warrenton,  a  spirited,  though  bloodless  affair.  A 
band  of  picked  men,  to  the  number  of  a  thousand, 
had  been  detailed  to  make  a  raid  through  the 
neighborhood  of  Richmond.  It  was  commanded 
by  General  Averell,  and  Newhall  was  one  of  the 
captains.  A  couple  of  days  after  leaving  camp 
they  reached  Warrenton,  where  they  saw  a  body  of 


86  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

Confederates,  drawn  up  in  the  main  street  of  the 
town.  Stuart  was  known  to  be  close  at  hand,  and 
our  troops  supposing  that  they  were  at  last  to  test 
whether  they  or  these  bold  rebels  were  the  better 
men,  immediately  formed  and  charged,  Newhall 
being  one  of  the  foremost  of  the  column.  The 
enemy  immediately  broke  and  scattered,  and  our 
soldiers  dashed  on  at  full  speed  up  the  long  street, 
expecting  at  every  instant  to  encounter  a  stronger 
force.  But  there  were  no  more  Southerners  to  be 
seen,  and  the  cavalry  rode  back  again,  to  report 
that  the  coast  was  clear.  Stuart  had  been  there 
with  his  whole  command,  and  had  withdrawn  not 
two  hours  before.  The  party  whom  our  men  saw 
was  only  the  rear-guard.  The  charge  was  none  the 
less  gallant  because  their  opponents  turned  out  to 
be  "nine  men  in  buckram,"  as  at  the  onset  they 
fancied  nothing  less  than  Stuart's  entire  force 
awaiting  them.  This  was  the  whole  fruit  of  their 
expedition,  as  at  that  very  juncture  they  were  re- 
called by  an  order  from  Washington,  and  forced  to 
return  to  camp,  chafing  under  the  restraint  and  dis- 
appointment. 

"  January  3d.  Not  off  yet,  you  see.  We  hear 
somebody  is  preparing  a  campaign  for  us.  Splen- 
did, isn't  it?" 

"  January  7th.  Harry  is  now  acting  on  General 
Averell's  staff.  I  left  him  in  command  at  Hart- 
wood  Church.  I  have  just  come  into  camp,  to  ex- 


THE    FIRST    WINTER    IN    THE    FIELD.       87 

amine  muster-rolls  and  accounts.  The  General  is 
here,  awaiting  orders.  We  are  having  splendid 
weather,  very  warm  and  clear  for  the  season.  The 
army  is  under  twelve  hours'  notice ;  what  that  means 
nobody  knows — except,  perhaps,  the  rebels.  Win- 
ter quarters  is  the  talk,  but  our  Western  armies 
don't  appear  to  take  part  in  the  conversation." 

"  January  18th.  We  haven't  moved  yet,  owing  to 
the  fine  state  of  the  weather  and  roads." 

"  January  22d.  In  camp,  andnearly  drowned  out. 
The  army  moved  toward  Hartwood  Church  day 
before  yesterday,  but  is  kept  on  this  side  the  river 
by  the  mud  and  rain.  Harry  has  gone  with  a 
hundred  and  fifty  men  of  our  regiment,  carrying 
'  McClellan  pies'  and  other  eatables,  to  Hooker's 
men,  as  the  wagons  can't  get  along  at  all." 

"  January  26th.   Cavalry  leaves  this  morning." 

"January  30th.  No  it  didn't." 

"  February  2d.  Leaving  camp  for  a  turn  of  picket 
duty." 

"  February  7th.  Returned  to  camp.  Our  bri- 
gade destroyed  the  railroad  bridge  over  the  Rappa- 
hannock,  on  the  Orange  and  Alexandria  Railroad, 
three  days  ago ;  a  splendid  affair,  the  rebels  very 
mad  about  it ;  five  of  our  men  wounded.  I  was 
on  picket,  and  didn't  participate." 

"February  20th.  Picket  for  three  days." 

"February  27th.  Have  just  returned  from  the 


88  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

river.  Have  been  in  the  saddle  since  4  A.  M.,  and 
it  is  now  10  J  P.  M." 

u  March  7th.  Harry  and  I  have  just  come  off 
duty  from  the  neighborhood  of  Hartwood  Church. 
Our  boys  had  a  smart  skirmish  there  the  other  day, 
and  we  went  out  to  see  what  the  matter  was.  On 
receipt  of  the  news  at  camp,  we  were  ordered  after 
the  rebels, — followed  them  up  to  Kelly's  Ford, 
where  they  crossed,  and  we  came  back  to  camp. 
On  the  4th,  I  went  off  again  on  picket.  While 
there  I  received  a  flag  of  truce  from  General  Lee. 
The  captain  of  his  staff  was  a  fine  fellow,  and  we 
passed  a  pleasant  evening  in  awaiting  General 
Hooker's  reply.  He  showed  me  a  letter  from  his 
wife,  who  held  her  baby's  hand  to  write  a  post- 
script." 

"  March  llth.  From  the  preparations  at  head- 
quarters, it  is  evident  that  a  move  of  the  cavalry 
is  in  contemplation." 

"  March  13th.  Colonel  Mclntosh  has  made  Har- 
ry adjutant  of  our  regiment.  I  have  been  detach- 
ed for  special  duty,  the  nature  of  which  I  know 
nothing  about  as  yet." 

This  record  of  Newhall's  first  winter  in  active 
service  shows  how  constantly  part  of  our  cavalry 
was  employed  and  exposed,  although  fighting  no 
battles  and  gaining  no  fame.  They  did  hard  work 
and  good  service,  and  the  officers  were  sometimes 
captured,  and  the  men  shot,  while  on  scouts  and 


THE    RAIDS.  89 

picket,  or  in  the  frequent  skirmishes.  But  the 
winter  was  now  over,  and  in  spite  of  the  wet 
spring,  and  roads  like  morasses,  a  general  move- 
ment was  on  foot. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

THE    RAIDS. 

"  Boot,  saddle,  to  horse  and  away!" 

"  St.  George  !  a  stirring  life  they  lead, 
That  have  such  neighbors  near." 

MARCH  was  cold,  windy,  and  wet,  and  after  the 
mild  winter,  "  the  spring  came  slowly  up  this  way." 
There  had  been  nothing  more  serious  than  skir- 
mishes along  the  lines  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
for  some  months  ;  in  one  of  these,  however,  some 
Confederate  officers  had  fallen,  and  General  Fitz- 
Hugh  Lee  sent  for  their  bodies  under  a  flag  of  truce. 
A  story  went  the  rounds  of  the  newspapers,  that 
the  Southern  officers  who  brought  the  flag,  in  re- 
turning, left  a  letter  with  the  pickets  from  Lee  to 
Averell,  who  had  been  his  classmate  at  West  Point, 
containing  a  friendly  challenge,  to  come  over  the 
river  and  ride  a  race  with  him.  Whether  this  be 
true  or  not,  General  Averell  and  his  brigade  made 
a  sudden  raid  in  the  direction  of  Culpeper,  crossed 
7 


90  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

the  Rappahannock  at  Kelly's  Ford,  in  the  face  of 
the  enemy's  fire,  had  a  hard  fight  for  several  hours 
with  the  rebels  under  Generals  Stuart  and  Fitz-Hugh 
Lee,  beat,  drove,  and  scattered  them  thoroughly, 
and  returned  to  the  northern  bank  of  the  river, 
triumphant.  This  was  the  first  real  cavalry  fight 
of  the  war,  and  our  complete  success  was  a  great 
satisfaction  to  all,  and  a  great  surprise  to  many. 
Ever  since  the  beginning  of  the  war,  the  superiority 
of  the  Southern  horse  had  been  arrogantly  claimed 
by  themselves,  and  unwillingly  admitted  by  some  of 
us,  ours  never  being  allowed  a  fair  chance  of  distinc- 
tion. There  had  been  little  use  for  them  among 
the  woods  and  swamps  of  the  Peninsula,  and  yet 
they  had  done  themselves  credit  at  Hanover  Court- 
house, (not  to  go  back  to  Springfield,)  while  the 
destruction  of  the  Oglethorpe  Light  Horse  proved 
at  least,  that  the  "  chivalry"  were  not  invulnerable. 
However,  their  reputation  was  maintained  by  their 
own  boasts,  another  proof  of  a  truth  which  has 
been  enunciated  in  many  forms,  that  any  fiction 
can  command  credence  for  a  time,  if  asserted  often 
and  stoutly  enough.  Now,  at  last,  the  two  met  in 
fair  field,  and  the  false  halo  which  had  surrounded 
the  names  of  Fitz-Hugh  Lee  and  Stuart,  vanished 
at  once  and  forever.  The  Southerners  had  for 
some  time  given  up  their  once  favorite  taunt  of 
Northern  cowardice,  or  it  would  have  been  thrown 
in  their  teeth  again  that  day  by  the  dash  of  the 


THE    RAIDS.  91 

whole  brigade,  and  countless  acts  of  individual 
daring.  Many  men  who  were  wounded  continued 
in  the  fight  until  it  was  over.  A  Major  of  the  First 
Rhode  Island  Cavalry  was  struck  in  the  neck  by 
a  ball  at  the  outset,  but  stanched  the  wound  with 
his  handkerchief,  and  remained  at  the  head  of  his 
command  until  the  end. 

The  news  of  this  engagement  took  the  North 
probably  as  much  by  surprise  as  it  did  the  South. 
The  first  intimation  that  many  had  of  the  fight, 
were  telegrams  announcing  the  wounds,  death, 
capture  or  safety  of  a  son  or  brother.  It  was  thus 
that  the  tidings  came  to  Newhall's  family  :  "  Charley 
Treichel  slightly  wounded;  Harry  and  I,  all  right." 
The  next  day  the  newspapers  were  full  of  the  action, 
and  Newhall  was  particularly  mentioned  among 
those  who  had  distinguished  themselves.  A  letter 
soon  came  from  him,  giving  a  full  account  of  the 
battle. 

"Potomac  Run,  March  18th.  I  reported  for 
special  duty  as  directed,  and  was  ordered  to  take 
fifty  picked  men,  and  proceed  to  the  house  of  Mr. 

,  ten  miles  beyond  our  pickets,  understood 

to  be  a  rendezvous  for  spies,  bushwhackers,  &c., 
and  be  there  at  10  p.  M.  on  Sunday.  The  night 
was  fearfully  dark,  but  I  arrived  at  the  house 
at  9J  p.  M.,  and  surrounded  it ;  the  family  had 
gone  to  bed  ;  found  no  suspicious  parties,  and  re- 


92  WALTER    S.    NEWH  ALL. 

turned  to  camp  safely  at  4  A.  M.  on  Monday.  At 
8  o'clock  we  started  on  our  little  raid.  Our  passage 
at  the  ford  was  disputed.  There  were  several  men 
killed  and  one  wounded,  while  forcing  it.  Major 
Chamberlain,  chief  of  General  Averell's  staff,  was 
shot  twice  in  the  face  before  a  crossing  was  effected, 
when  he  sent  back  word  to  General  Averell  that 
he  had  carried  out  his  instructions  to  the  very  let- 
ter. He  was  picked  up  more  dead  than  alive,  and 
carried  to  camp.  His  wounds  are  very  bad,  but  he 
still  lives.  The  crossing  was  admirably  managed. 
We  didn't  become  generally  engaged  until  the  whole 
force  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  We  were 
massed  just  above  the  ford,  when  the  skirmishers 
commenced  popping  away  at  the  advancing  enemy. 
We  were  rapidly  deployed  into  line,  and  the  whole 
force  ordered  to  advance,  which  we  did  in  fine 
style.  About  midway  in.  a  narrow  strip  of  woods, 
the  rebels  became  belligerent  and  drove  in  our 
skirmishers  rapidly  on  the  reserves,  following  up 
with  a  charge.  The  guns  were  unlimbered  in 
an  instant,  and  the  first  volley  changed  the  aspect 
of  affairs,  and  gave  us  a  chance  to  push  beyond  the 
woods,  where  we  formed  in  column  of  echelon,  ready 
for  the  charge.  The  ground  was  everything  that 
could  be  wished.  On  the  other  side  of  a  wide  plain 
the  rebels  were  drawn  up.  The  artillery  opened 
upon  them,  when  a  large  body  advanced  at  a  sharp 


THERAIDS.  93 

trot,  evidently  about  to  charge  the  guns.  The  move- 
ment was  anticipated,  and  the  First  Rhode  Island, 
and  Fourth  Pennsylvania,  were  ordered  against 
them.  It  was  a  magnificent  spectacle.  So  it  struck 
the  rebels,  who  halted  a  moment  to  look,  before  the 
shock  should  mix  things.  To  their  minds  the  lessen- 
ing distance  didn't  appear  to  suggest  any  change 
for  the  better,  so  they  unanimously  adopted  the 
wise  but  ignominious  resolution  to  clear  out !  This 
party  was  headed  by  the  immortal  Stuart  and 
Fitz-Hugh  Lee ;  but  in  spite  of  this,  away  they 
went,  closely  followed,  for  almost  half  a  mile,  by 
the  men  under  Colonel  Duffie,  a  portion  of  whose 
command  pierced  the  rebel  line,  but  being  unsup- 
ported, the  brave  fellows  were  lost.  The  Secesh 
tried  twice  more  in  this  neighborhood,  but  with 
worse  success  than  at  first,  becoming  more  easily 
and  worse  demoralized  each  time.  Again  their  whole 
line  was  ordered  forward,  and  again  they  tried  for 
the  guns,  but  we  had  it  all  our  own  way  with  them. 
At  last  they  charged  down  in  three  columns.  We 
held  our  carbine-fire  till  we  could  almost  see  the 
whites  of  their  eyes,  and  away  they  went  and  we 
after  them.  This  rout  was  well  covered  by  their 
artillery,  however,  which  now  opened  upon  us  vi- 
gorously. My  squadron,  which  became  the  head 
of  the  column,  marching  across  their  fire,  seemed 
suddenly  to  become  an  object  of  great  ill  feeling : 
scarcely  a  man  but  had  dirt  thrown  over  him.  Some 


94  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

were  wonderfully  fortunate  in  their  escape.  Several 
horses  were  shot,  but  not  a  man  hurt.  About  this 
time  Major  White's  horse  was  killed,  also  Charley 
Treichel's.  Charley  had  his  leg  a  little  in  the  way, 
but  very  fortunately  escaped  with  only  a  flesh 
wound.  Our  ammunition  being  nearly  spent,  we 
recrossed  the  river  and  passed  the  night  at  Mor- 
risville.  We  lost  six  officers  killed  and  wounded, 
and  twenty-three  men  ;  thirty  more  were  captured. 
Rebel  loss  still  greater.  Harry  acted  as  adjutant 
of  our  regiment  during  the  engagement,  which 
lasted  from  sunrise  till  about  dark,  and  though  I 
say  it,  &c.,  Harry  did  his  whole  duty  handsomely. 
We  are  both  well  and  in  good  spirits,  and  more 
than  ever  sure  that  in  a  fair  field  the  rebel  cavalry 
can't  stand  ours." 

At  the  same  time  General  Averell  wrote  to  a 
friend  in  Philadelphia  :  "  The  old  Third  Pennsyl- 
vania behaved  like  the  best  of  regulars,  and  your 
boys,"  (Treichel  and  the  Newhalls,)  "distinguished 
themselves.  I  thought  they  would  get  hurt  several 
times,  but  am  thankful  they  escaped  with  a  few 
bruises." 

A  day  or  two  afterwards  Newhall  came  home, 
with  his  friend  Captain  Treichel,  but  returned  to 
camp  at  the  end  df  a  week,  to  work  off  his  riotous 
living,  as  he  said.  On  his  arrival,  he  writes, 

"  Colonel came  down  to  Washington  in  the 

cars  with  me,  and  I  was  surprised  to  hear  him 


THE    RAIDS.  95 

ppeak  so  highly  of  our  little  affair  over  the  river.  He 
said  :  '  If  the  object  of  the  reconnoissance  was 
merely  to  prove  the  superiority  of  our  officers  and 
men,  it  was  eminently  successful,  and  he  was  glad 
that  everybody  saw  it  in  the  light  of  a  splendid 
cavalry  fight,  resulting  so  entirely  in  our  favor.' 
As  nearly  as  I  can  remember,  these  are  his  exact 
words.  An  anticipated  attack  on  our  pickets,  to- 
day, did  not  take  place.  We  were  all  saddled  up 
when  I  arrived,  and  as  I  came  up  the  hill,  the 
satisfaction  of  Being  just  in  time  was  very  great." 

"  April  6th.  The  grand  review  came  off  to-day. 
Everybody  and  everybody's  staff  participated." 

"  April  llth.  We  recovered  from  a  slight  attack 
of  picket  duty  yesterday.  We  move  again  day  after 
to-morrow,  at  5J  A.  M." 

"  Bealeton,  Orange  and  Alexandria  Railroad, 
April  18th.  We  withdrew  from  the  banks  of  the 
river  this  morning  to  the  music  of  the  enemy's 
guns,  if  you  can  call  it  so. 

'  Music,  says  Halleck,  is  everywhere  ; 

Harmony  guides  the  whole  creation  ; 
But  when  a  bullet  sings  in  the  air, 
So  close  to  your  head  that  it  touches  your  hair, 
To  enjoy  it  requires  a  taste  quite  rare, 
With  a  certain  amount  of  cultivation.' 
• 

And  what  is  true  of  a  bullet  is  equally  so  with 
shell  or  solid  shot,  perhaps  a  little  more  so.  The 
old  story,  however,  holds  good:  'Nobody  hurt.' 


96  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

The  rain  has  at  least  postponed  the  crossing  of  the 
river,  but  if  we  ever  get  hold  of  Stuart,  Treason 
on  horseback  will  be  severely  dealt  with.  The  in- 
closed offer  from  General  Rosecrans's  Acting  Adju- 
tant-General is  very  flattering,  but  I  cannot  accept 
it.  The  Third  Pennsylvania  is  good  enough.  The 
4  opportunities  for  distinction'  will  have  to  be  turned 
over  to  some  one  more  ambitious." 

This  offer  was  a  majority  in  a  Western  cavalry 
regiment,  but  his  esprit  de  corps  made  him  prefer 
to  wait  for  promotion  in  his  own.  • 

"  Fred  may  have  written  to  you  what  I  have  been 
about  lately,  and  what  was  expected  of  me.  If  so, 
you  have  the  secret  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  I 
was  very  highly  complimented  by  General  Averell, 
and  you  will  be  good  enough  to  keep  the  matter 

among  yourselves,  that  the  feelings  of  the th 

may  not  be  hurt,  or  their  reputation  injured.  Please 
be  very  careful  on  this  point." 

The  cavalry  was  now  in  constant  motion,  as 
General  Stoneman  was  watching  his  opportunity 
to  cross  the  river,  which,  in  common  with  all  the 
streams  in  this  part  of  the  country,  was  prodi- 
giously swollen  by  the  spring  rains.  Several  at- 
tempts were  made,  but  the  time  had  not  yet  come. 
Newhall  was  actiag  on  General  AverelFs  staff,  and 
was  chosen  to  lead  a  dismounted  party  across  the 
Rappahannock,  at  Beverly  Ford,  to  carry  the 
enemy's  rifle-pits  upon  the  opposite  side.  He 


THERAIDS.  97 

looked  forward  to  this  with  great  enthusiasm,  and 
having  carefully  studied  the  position,  made  all  his 
plans  for  the  attack ;  but  the  scheme  was  abandoned, 
and  the  river  crossed  at  another  point.  Shortly 

afterwards  he  was  put  in  command  of  the th, 

a  new  regiment,  whose  colonel  was  thought  not 
quite  equal  to  such  an  occasion  yet.  Newhall  led 
them  all  through  the  brisk  work  that  followed,  and 
the  example  of  such  daring  and  discipline  as  his, 
must  have  had  a  lasting  effect  on  raw  troops.  One 
night  they  had  bivouacked  in  an  open  space  on  the 
bank  of  a  small  stream,  an  officer  having  been  sent 
to  picket  the  opposite  side,  where  there  were  heavy 
woods.  The  pickets  were  not  properly  posted,  and 
in  the  middle  of  the  night  a  party  of  the  enemy's 
infantry  fired  upon  our  men  from  across  the  stream. 

It  was  a  complete  surprise,  and  the th,  wearied 

out  with  a  succession  of  forced  marches,  and  startled 
from  their  sleep  to  find  themselves  under  fire,  were 
seized  with  a  panic.  The  terrified  horses  broke 
loose  and  galloped  madly  to  and  fro,  the  saddles 
and  arms  were  lost,  and  the  whole  regiment  was  in 
the  direst  confusion,  the  men  running  from  the 
bullets,  which  were  rained  upon  them  by  the  invisi- 
ble enemy.  The  Third  Pennsylvania,  however,  on 
the  first  alarm,  seized  their  carbines,  and  rallied 
round  their  officers,  and  in  a  short  time  were  at 
the  water's  edge  returning  the  fire.  Newhall  had 
started  up  at  the  first  volley,  and  seeing  the  men 


98  WALTER    S.    NEWH  ALL. 

of  his  command  flying,  posted  himself  directly  in 
their  path,  shouting,  "  Take  your  arms  and  follow 
the  Third  !"  and  felling  every  man  that  attempted  to 
pass.  The  others,  suddenly  brought  to  a  stand, 
seeing  this  threatening  figure  in  their  way,  and 
their  comrades  on  the  ground  at  his  feet,  rallied 
for  a  moment,  and  hearing  the  simple  order,  "  Fol- 
low the  Third !"  again  shouted  in  a  commanding  and 
cheerful  voice,  began  to  pluck  up  their  spirits,  fell 
into  order,  followed  the  Third  to  the  bank,  and  aided 
them  in  driving  the  rebels  away.  A  number  of  the 
latter  were  killed,  while,  strangely  enough,  not  one 
of  ours  was  fatally  hurt.  This  is  the  circumstance 
to  which  Newhall  refers  in  the  preceding  letter. 
He  mentions  none  of  these  particulars,  but  they 
became  known  some  time  afterwards  through  Ge- 
neral Averell,  who  was  on  the  spot,  and  told  the 
story  in  Washington,  as  an  illustration  of  his  young 
aid's  coolness,  and  "  two  o'clock  in  the  morning 
courage." 

All  this  time,  General  Stoneman's  raid,  the  most 
successful  and  brilliant  that  has  been  made  on 
either  side,  was  in  full  progress.  Buford,  Ave- 
rell, Gregg,  and  Kilpatrick,  wrere  streaming  like 
meteors  across  the  enemy's  country,  in  various 
directions,  destroying  bridges  and  railroads,  burn- 
ing the  Confederate  commissary  stores,  capturing 
the  Richmond  Home-guard,  (including  the  mayor 
and  corporation,)  who  had  innocently  come  out  to 


THERAIDS.  99 

see  if  anything  was  the  matter,  and  entirely  cut- 
ting off  all  communication  between  General  Lee's 
army  and  his  base.  Meanwhile  Fredericksburg 
was  stormed  for  the  second  time,  and  taken.  But 
alas !  in  that  very  hour  our  army  was  beaten  and 
driven  back  across  the  river,  shot  and  slain  by 
thousands  in  their  retreat,  while  the  news  echoed 
like  a  wail  through  the  country,  and  every  city  of 
the  North  was  like  Toledo  after  the  battle  of  Xeres, 
or  Edinburgh  after  Flodden.  There  was  little 
time  for  writing  during  these  breathless  days,  but 
Newhall  managed  to  send  a  couple  of  notes  home 
while  on  the  raid.  In  one  of  these  he  says,  "  We 
tried  to  burn  the  bridge  near  Rapid  Ann  Station,  on 
the  Alexandria  and  Orange  Railroad.  The  rebels 
were  kind  enough  to  do  it  for  us,  after  fighting  all 
day.  To  horse  !" 

The  cavalry  returned  to  their  old  quarters,  to 
learn  the  disaster  of  Chancellorville,  and  the  loss 
of  Fredericksburg.  The  whole  object  of  the  raid 
had  been  to  secure  the  fruits  of  victory,  and  this 
defeat  made  it  all  sheer  waste  of  time  and  vital 
force.  Newhall  utters  no  complaint,  makes  no 
moan  over  the  total  failure  of  their  best  endeavor. 
There  is  not  a  single  comment  in  one  of  his  letters 
on  the  calamity,  although  those  who  knew  him 
know  what  his  emotions  must  have  been,  and  those 
who  have  read  his  story  thus  far,  may  guess.  But 
he  never  wrote  or  spoke  of  his  sentiments  and  feel- 


100  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

ings.  The  entire  absence  of  allusion  to  himself  in 
the  whole  course  of  his  correspondence,  is  a  re- 
markable illustration  of  his  extreme  reticence. 

"  Camp  near  Potomac  Creek,  May  7th.  Here 
we  are,  back  in  our  old  camping  ground,  all  well. 
Arrived  last  night.  We  have  good  news  this  after- 
noon. General  Stoneman  has  cut  the  railroad  and 
telegraph  communication  between  Richmond  and 
the  rebels,  and  the  army  is  ordered  to  be  ready  to 
move  at  a  moment's  notice." 

"  May  9th.  Fred  has  arrived  at  headquarters 
with  despatches  from  General  Stoneman." 

"  May  14th.  We  all  feel  blue  about  Stoneman's 
treatment  and  Averell  being  relieved,  but  hope  it 
will  turn  out  right  in  the  end." 

"  May  22d.  We  had  a  little  cricket  in  camp  yes- 
terday. Of  course.  I  worked  too  hard,  and  am  sick 
after  it,  but  will  be  well  to-morrow,  and  take  it 
more  soberly  next  time." 

"  May  24th.  We  change  camp  to  Warrenton,  to- 
morrow. Not  another  raid." 

"  Camp  Reserve  Picket,  near  Hartwood  Church, 
May  28th.  Our  being  here  is  the  result  of  unsuc- 
cessful strategy  on  the  part  of .  We  marched 

to  Bealeton,  reported  to  General  Gregg,  and  were 
on  the  march  back  before  daylight  the  next  morn- 
ing." 

General  Averell  was  relieved,  and  shortly  after- 
wards sent  to  Western  Virginia,  to  take  charge  of 


THE    RAIDS.  101 

a  brigade  of  cavalry  and  a  large  force  of  infantry 
and  artillery.  On  taking  leave  of  his  old  command, 
he  wrote  the  following  letter  to  an  influential 
friend : 

"  MY  DEAR  SIR  :  In  the  Third  Pennsylvania  Ca- 
valry, which  was  recently  in  my  command,  there  are 
several  meritorious  young  officers,  who  from  their 
superior  qualifications  and  experience  deserve  pro- 
motion. Among  the  most  prominent,  for  whom  1 
have  the  honor  to  request  your  favorable  considera- 
tion and  influence,  is  Captain  W.  S.  ]N~ewhall,  who, 
from  his  high  character,  bearing,  and  eminent 
ability,  his  energy,  gallantry,  and  excellent  judg- 
ment, has  won  the  respect,  esteem,  and  confidence 
of  all  about  him,  superiors  and  subordinates.  In 
my  opinion,  he  is  well  fitted  to  command  a  regiment 
of  cavalry,  whether  old  or  new  ;  and  I  ask,  that  if 
you  should  have  an  opportunity  to  do  so,  you  will 
recommend  him  for  the  appointment  of  colonel. 

"  I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient 
servant, 

"  W.    W.  AVERELL, 

"B.  G.  Vols." 

Colonel  J.  B.  Mclntosh  succeeded  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  brigade,  and  shortly  afterwards  he 
also  wrote  to  recommend  Newhall  for  a  colonelcy, 
speaking  in  equally  high  terms  of  his  character 
and  qualifications. 


102  WALTER    S.    NEW  HALL. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

HOME    INVADED. 

"  Up  and  rouse  ye  !  time  is  fleeting, 

And  we  yet  have  much  to  do. 
Up  and  haste  ye  through  the  city, 

Stir  the  burghers  stout  and  true  ; 
Gather  all  our  scattered  people, 

Fling  the  banner  out  once  more." 

"  And  there  was  mounting  in  hot  haste  ;  the  steed. 

The  mustering  squadron,  and  the  clattering  car, 
Went  pouring  forward  with  impetuous  speed, 

And  swiftly  forming  in  the  ranks  of  war  ; 
And  the  deep  thunder,  peal  on  peal,  afar 

And  near,  the  beat  of  the  alarming  drum, 
Roused  up  the  soldier  ere  the  morning  star  ; 

While  thronged  the  citizens,  with  terror  dumb, 

Or  whispering  with  white  lips,  '  The  foe,  they  come, 
they  come  !'  " 

''  Rebellion  in  this  land  shall  lose  his  sway, 
Meeting  the  check  of  such  another  day." 

THE  second  battle  of  Fredericksburg  threw  a 
heavy  gloom  over  the  public  mind  ;  even  the  most 
sanguine  rallied  slowly  from  such  a  shock.  With 
June,  the  alarms  of  the  autumn  began  to  revive. 
The  Southern  army  was  in  constant  motion,  and 
actions  of  more  or  less  importance  were  taking 
place  daily.  There  were  some  sharp  fights,  like 
Beverly  Ford,  Brandy  Station,  Aldie,  and  Upper- 


HOME    INVADED.  103 

ville  ;  but  none  of  these  were  general  engagements, 
and  a  general  movement  was  evidently  on  foot. 
Many  thought  that  Washington  was  threatened, 
others  that  the  attempt  on  Baltimore  was  to  be 
renewed,  while  not  a  few  had  their  fears  for  our 
cwn  borders.  The  cavalry  lived  in  the  saddle  that 
month,  and  all  the  fighting  was  done  by  them. 

"  Camp  near  Licking  Creek,  June  5th.  The  rebel 
cavalry  crossed  the  river  yesterday,  at  or  near 
Sulphur  Springs,  driving  the  First  Massachusetts  to 
the  neighborhood  of  our  camp.  Of  course  we  passed 
the  next  night  in  search  of  the  enemy.  Returned 
to  camp  yesterday  morning  shortly  after  daylight, 
having  seen  nothing.  To-day  we  are  under  march- 
ing orders  for  to-morrow  morning." 

"  June  7th.  We  returned  to  camp  last  night  at 
one  o'clock,  after  a  raid  to  Jefferson,  Amissville, 
&c.,  crossing  Hedgman  and  Hazel  Rivers.  The 
rebels  were  employed  elsewhere,  so  we  didn't  have 
a  general  engagement ;  but  my  squadron  was  de- 
tached to  cover  the  right  flank  of  the  column,  and 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Waterloo,  we  managed  to 
scare  up  a  scouting  party  of  about  thirty  men.  We 
lost  one  horse  killed,  and  captured  one  man,  horse, 
&c.  Nobody  hurt." 

"  June  12th.  This  is  the  first  opportunity  for 
writing  since  we  recrossed  the  Rappahannock,  since 
the  fight.  (Beverly  Ford.)  We  have  been  picket- 
ing the  river  near  Sulphur  Springs.  Returned  to 


104  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

camp  yesterday  afternoon.  Fred  must  give  you 
an  account  of  the  grand  cavalry  battle,  as  his 
position  for  actual  observation  was  the  best ;  we  of 
the  left  wing  know  little  of  the  general  engage- 
ment. After  crossing  at  Kelly's  Ford,  we  took 
the  Stevensburg  Road,  and  met  the  enemy  advanc- 
ing, about  a  mile  from  the  river.  We  skirmished  for 
an  hour  before  we  got  fairly  to  work. 

"  The  fight  opened  by  the  rebels,  who  charged  the 
First  Massachusetts  Cavalry  down  a  hollow  road. 
They  came  to  the  conclusion  that  they  '  had  the 
wrong  chicken  by  the  tail  feathers,'  and  very  short- 
ly changed  base,  with  a  loss  of  twenty-five  killed 
and  wounded,  and  a  loss  of  sixty-four  prisoners. 
The  attempt  to  cut  the  line  was  twice  made  with- 
out success.  We  drove  them  about  two  miles  and 
a  half,  and  had  just  put  our  guns  in  position  and 
opened  on  the  enemy,  when  we  were  ordered  to  fall 
back  to  the  support  of  General  Gregg,  who  was 
being  badly  beaten.  We  came  up  just  in  time  to 
save  the  Third  Division,  pushed  through  the  rebel 
right,  and  joined  the  Regulars,  &c.,  at  Beverly 
Ford,  just  as  our  cavalry  was  recrossing  the  river. 
Our  division  passed  along  the  line  to  Rappahannock 
Station,  the  rebels  following  very  slowly.  We  lost 
only  about  twenty-five  killed  and  wounded,  and  no 
missing — except  the  reporter  ;  captured  over  sixty 
prisoners,  saved  Gregg,  and  are  not  so  much  as 
mentioned  in  the  papers,  because  our  correspondent 


HOME    INVADED.  105 

undertook  to  get  to  the  rear  during  an  important 
movement,  an  account  of  which  he  '  was  anxious  to 
furnish  by  the  day's  mail.'  The  Third  supported  the 
battery,  and  brought  up  the  rear  when  retiring." 

Of  course,  it  was  known  by  telegraph  that  there 
was  hot  work  again  on  the  Rappahannock,  and  all 
who  had  friends  in  the  cavalry  were  in  a  fever  of 
anxiety,  while  the  Associated  Press  was  vainly 
asking,  "  Ubi  est  ille  reporter  T*  In  a  day  or  two 
more  there  were  full  accounts,  and  private  letters 
came,  with  words  of  cheer  for  some  and  words  of 
doom  for  others,  but  the  good  news  for  all,  that  the 
enemy  was  worsted,  and  our  men  had  done  bravely 
and  well. 

Meanwhile,  the  enemy's  main  body  was  advanc- 
ing steadily,  and  terror  was  spreading  through  the 
Cumberland  Valley.  Day  by  day  the  rumor  and 
the  dismay  increased ;  reports  of  every  sort  were 
rife,  the  most  inconsistent  and  the  most  incredible. 
The  morning's  story  would  be  that  the  enemy  had 
crossed  the  border,  by  afternoon  he  had  taken 
Chambersburg,  by  night  he  was  in  sight  of  Harris- 
burg,  moving  with  a  speed  that  outstripped  that 
of  rumor  itself.  The  next  morning  would  reas- 
sure the  community  that  he  was  still  in  Maryland. 
The  trouble  was  to  know  where  the  rebels  really 
were,  and  in  what  force,— no  such  difficult  thing,  one 
would  imagine,  when  it  was  a  question  of  the  where- 
abouts of  an  army  of  one  hundred  thousand  men, 


106  WALTER    S.    NEW  HALL. 

not  eighty  miles  from  our  State  capital,  but  never- 
theless seemingly  impossible.  But  the  alarm  swelled 
like  the  voice  of  the  waves  at  flood-tide ;  each  day 
it  rose  and  fell,  but  each  day  the  sound  was  louder 
and  the  dying  echoes  were  less  distant.  Some  be- 
lieved that  this  was  only  another  raid,  to  reap  the 
harvests  from  the  rich  valleys  and  uplands  of  Penn- 
sylvania, others  already  saw  Lee  and  his  army  in 
possession  of  Philadelphia.  But  every  twenty-four 
hours  added  numbers  to  the  ranks  of  the  timid,  and 
strength  to  the  souls  of  the  brave.  By  midsum- 
mer the  consternation  was  general,  and  the  convic- 
tion that  Lee  was  threatening  Philadelphia  was 
gaining  converts.  The  effect  was  very  different 
from  that  of  any  former  panic ;  indeed,  there  was 
no  panic.  The  banks  sent  their  specie  to  New 
York,  a  few  people  buried  their  plate,  a  few  others 
fled  across  the  Delaware.  But  the  only  class  with 
whom  the  terror  was  universal,  were  the  poor  ne- 
groes, not  the  contrabands  alone,  but  the  free 
blacks,  born  and  brought  up  on  Northern  soil,  who, 
on  a  sudden,  saw  slavery  yawning  to  devour  them. 
A  large  portion  of  the  community  never  believed 
that  Lee  would  venture  so  far  into  a  hostile  coun- 
try ;  the  majority  cheerfully  prepared  to  meet  him. 
There  were  those,  too,  who  were  sunk  in  disap- 
pointment and  despondency,  looking  beyond  the 
mere  momentary  danger  to  the  eternal  fact,  that, 
after  the  millions  of  money  and  hosts  of  men  which 


HOME    INVADED.  107 

Pennsylvania  had  given  to  carry  on  the  war,  the 
flood  of  rebellion  was  for  the  third  time  threatening 
to  overwhelm  her  peaceful  fields,  while  there  hardly 
remained  young  men  in  her  towns  to  fight  for  the 
women  and  children.  For  the  third  time  the  bells 
clanged  from  morn  till  night,  to  call  the  people  to 
arms ;  for  the  third  time  the  militia  companies, 
which  now  only  included  those  whom  paramount 
duty  had  kept  at  home,  went  forth  to  face  the  foe ; 
for  the  third  time  the  recruiting  sergeant's  drum 
was  heard  along  the  streets,  from  daybreak  till 
midnight,  while  old  men  and  boys,  veterans  of  the 
war  of  1812  and  college  lads  in  their  second  term, 
fell  into  the  ranks  as  he  passed.  There  was  none 
of  the  rush  and  enthusiasm  in  enlisting  of  the 
early  days,  after  Fort  Sumter  and  Bull  Run,  but 
things  were  done  in  Philadelphia  such  as  had  not 
been  seen  since  earlier  days  yet,  the  days  of  '76. 
Two  hundred  of  the  clergy  went  in  a  body,  and 
offered  themselves  to  the  mayor,  to  work  in  the 
trenches  and  fortifications.  An  eminent  Presbyte- 
rian divine,  no  longer  young,  marched  through  the 
streets  with  a  drummer  beside  him,  until  he  had 
collected  a  hundred  recruits.  New  York  and  New 
Jersey  regiments,  some  of  whom  had  but  just  come 
home,  after  two  years'  service,  to  be  paid  off  and 
return  to  their  families,  hastened  to  the  rescue, 
with  a  noble  generosity  and  forgetfulness  of  State 
feeling,  which  will  be  ever  gratefully  remembered 


108  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

by  those  whom  they  came  to  help.  At  Harrisburg, 
which  was  in  the  utmost  danger,  there  was  confu- 
sion worse  confounded  ;  the  troops  arriving  hourly, 
the  inhabitants  of  the  neighboring  villages  and 
the  denizens  of  the  scattered  farm-houses  crowd- 
ing in  by  hundreds,  until  there  was  neither  food 
nor  shelter  to  be  had  ;  the  frightened  townsfolk  of 
Columbia  burning  their  beloved  bridge  over  the 
Susquehanna ;  while  State  and  Federal  authorities 
were  at  odds  about  the  terms  on  which  the  volun- 
teers were  to  be  accepted.  In  the  midst  of  all  this 
came  the  news  that  the  General  in  command  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  had  resigned !  Who  could 
hope  that  he  who  snatched  the  reins  from  the  hand 
of  the  falling  charioteer  could  guide  the  car  into 
the  track  again,  and  bring  it  victorious  to  the 
goal?  It  was  said,  indeed,  that  the  whole  army 
was  pressing  forward  by  forced  marches,  but  the 
enemy  was  at  our  very  doors,  and  we  watched  in 
awful  suspense  to  see  if  help  would  come  in  time, 
or  the  ranks  of  our  militia,  with  all  who  were  too 
old,  too  young,  or  too  feeble  to  go  to  the  war,  would 
meet  the  shock  of  Lee's  grim  soldiery,  and  be 
shivered  to  atoms. 

Newhall  at  this  time  was  Acting  Assistant  Ad- 
jutant-General of  the  First  Brigade,  Second  Di- 
vision. 

"  Camp  near  Aldie,  June  26th.  We  see  by  the 
papers  that  Germantown  is  '  reassuring  the  army' 


HOME    INVADED.  109 

again  ;  that's  right.  We  have  had  hard  work  and 
sleepless  nights  lately  enough  to  need  recruiting. 
For  two  weeks  I  have  been  quite  under  the  weather, 
but  my  constitution  has  pulled  me  through.  The 
cavalry  begins  to  hold  up  its  head  a  little,  and  the 
infantry  men  who  witnessed  the  late  skirmishes, 
treat  us  with  as  much  respect  as  they  have  at  com- 
mand for  anybody.  We  see  by  the  papers  that 
the  First  City  Troop  have  been  taking  some  priso- 
ners without  loss  ;  if  Gilbert,"  (his  eldest  brother,) 
"had  a  hand  in  it,  please  send  us  his  account  of 
the  affair." 

"  Ridgeville,  Maryland,  June  29th.  We  crossed 
the  Potomac  three  days  ago ;  since  then  have  been 
marching  night  and  day,  Stuart  flying  about  in  all 
directions.  You  had  better  write  to  the  City  Troop 
boys  to  sleep  with  one  eye  open." 

This  was  the  last  news,  until  word  came  that 
General  Meade  had  engaged  the  Southern  army, 
and  Newhall's  parents  knew  that  he  and  his  two 
brothers  were  fighting  for  life  and  death  at  Gettys- 
burg, while  three  others  who  had  gone  out  with 
the  militia  were  in  hourly  peril  of  annihilation. 
The  tremendous  battle  raged  for  three  long  sum- 
mer days,  days  that  seemed  as  if  they  would  never 
end,  while  the  sun  blazed  down  from  a  cloudless 
sky  upon  the  bloody  earth.  With  the  third  night 
came  the  news  of  victory,  a  glorious  victory,  and 
the  morrow,  which  was  the  Fourth,  was  celebrated 


110  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

as  a  high  and  solemn  festival,  long  to  be  remem- 
bered by  the  whole  nation.  But  one  twelve-month 
before,  we  had  kept  that  day  in  dust  and  ashes, 
awful  tidings  coming  in  hourly  from  the  broken 
army  in  the  Peninsula  ;  but  one  day  before  it  had 
seemed  that  all  the  misery  and  despair  of  the  pre- 
vious year  would  be  light  to  the  destruction  that 
was  coming  swiftly  upon  us.  And  now  the  whole 
land  was  lifting  its  voice  to  sing,  "  Thy  right  hand, 
0  Lord,  is  become  glorious  in  power  !  Thy  right 
hand,  0  Lord,  hath  dashed  to  pieces  the  enemy." 

The  undertone  of  lamentation  which  must  for- 
ever mingle  with  such  rejoicings  was  lost  in  the 
universal  paean  of  that  day,  but  the  light  of  many  a 
heart  had  been  quenched  forever,  and  even  where 
the  angel  of  death  had  forborne  to  strike  home,  he 
had  left  ghastly  reminders  of  his  presence  and 
power.  While  Newhall's  parents  were  still  un- 
certain what  had  been  the  fate  of  their  six  sons, 
the  following  telegram  was  received  :  "  Baltimore, 
July  6th.  Am  slightly  wounded.  Leave  at  10 
o'clock  for  home.  W.  S.  N."  And  a  few  hours 
later  Walter  arrived,  severely  wounded,  and  weak 
from  the  loss  of  blood. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  battle  he  had  not  joined 
in  the  fight.  On  the  second  he  had  been  actively 
engaged  in  Supporting  batteries.  On  the  third  he 
was  employed  in  the  various  duties  of  a  staff 
officer,  when  a  heavy  body  of  cavalry  made  a 


HOME    INVADED.  Ill 

violent  attack  on  General  Gregg's  position  on  the 
right  wing,  endeavoring  to  turn  that  flank,  with 
the  hope  of  creating  confusion  in  our  rear,  and  of 
damaging  our  trains  and  communications.  It  was 
vital  to  repel  this  onset,  and  our  troops  made  a 
stubborn  resistance.  But  the  enemy  advanced 
rapidly,  and  some  important  guns  were  in  mo- 
mentary danger  of  being  taken.  Newhall  was 
sent  to  order  a  portion  of  the  Third  Pennsylvania 
Cavalry  to  their  support.  On  reaching  his  regi- 
ment he  found  that  so  many  men  had  been  forced 
to  fight  on  foot  and  in  the  woods,  that  but  three 
officers  and  sixteen  men,  a  fragment  of  his  friend 
Captain  Treichel's  squadron,  were  mounted,  and 
ready  to  move  on  the  instant.  Not  a  second  was 
to  be  lost.  He  briefly  explained  his  orders  to  this 
small  party,  and  hurried  them  on  to  the  attack. 
Being  on  the  staff,  it  was  no  part  of  his  duty  to  do 
more  than  deliver  the  order,  but  to  do  less  than 
share  the  danger  was  not  in  his  nature.  They 
were  hidden  from  sight  in  a  little  valley,  whence 
they  gradually  rose  to  the  top  of  a  hill,  not  fifty 
yards  from  which  a  regiment  of  the  enemy  was  in 
full  career  against  a  portion  of  our  line,  just  then 
in  confusion.  The  little  band  instantly  charged 
this  vastly  superior  force,  breaking  through  the 
flank,  and  creating  a  diversion  just  at  the  decisive 
moment.  Out  of  what  had  been^ disorder,  a  steady 
line  of  our  men  now  advanced,  and  the  golden  op- 


112  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

portunity  of  the  rebels  was  lost.  Only  a  score  of 
the  Third  had  ridden  down  upon  the  enemy,  and 
but  six  of  these  noble  few  escaped  unhurt.  New- 
hall  had  made  straight  for  the  battle-flag,  and  rais- 
ing his  sabre  charged  like  a  thunderbolt  upon  the 
color-bearer,  but  the  latter  suddenly  lowered  the 
spear-head  of  the  banner,  and  struck  his  antagonist 
full  on  the  chin  with  terrible  force,  shattering  his 
jaw,  tearing  his  cheek  to  pieces,  and  knocking  him 
senseless  from  his  horse.  When  he  recovered  his 
consciousness,  he  found  himself  lying  between  the 
two  lines,  a  shell  occasionally  bursting  near  him. 
His  wound  was  bleeding  profusely,  his  arms  were 
gone,  and  he  had  been  evidently  left  for  dead.  He 
found,  however,  that  he  had  strength  enough  to 
walk,  and  hastened  towards  our  lines.  Coming  in 
at  a  point  where  there  was  some  slight  confusion 
under  a  very  hot  fire,  he  rallied  the  men,  who  were 
becoming  unsteady,  and  then  made  the  best  of  his 
way  to  the  rear  to  find  a  surgeon.  There  he  was 
joined  by  his  friend  Charles  Treichel,  who,  since 
they  had  ridden  into  the  fray  together,  in  the 
morning,  with  all  the  fire  of  their  first  charge  at 
Springfield,  had  lost  a  horse,  had  his  arm  shatter- 
ed by  a  ball,  been  taken  prisoner,  and  made  his 
escape.  Late  in  the  day  Newhall's  brothers  found 
them  both  lying  in  a  little  farm-house,  among  their 
companions  in  the  charge.  Walter  was  exceed- 
ingly lame  and  bruised,  in  consequence  of  the  fall 


HOME    INVADED.  113 

from  his  horse,  and  his  wound  was  so  stiff  and 
swollen  that  he  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  articu- 
lating, but  he  was  in  high  spirits  over  the  victory. 
In  a  day  or  two  he  was  well  enough  to  be  moved, 
and  was  sent  home. 

His  strength  soon  began  to  return,  and  his 
wound  slowly  healed.  He  had  a  happy  summer 
among  the  favorite  haunts  of  his  childhood  and 
youth,  in  the  midst  of  his  family  and  the  old 
friends  who  thronged  about  him,  showering  kind- 
ness and  attention  upon  him  in  every  form.  ~No  one 
who  saw  him  then  can  ever  forget  him,  with  his 
athletic  form,  his  pale,  indomitable  face  and  its 
ennobling  scar,  his  earnest  eyes,  his  grace,  his 
modesty,  and  his  singular  reserve,  which  gave  a 
peculiar  interest  to  one  so  young  and  so  gallant. 
He  was  as  full  of  spirits  as  ever  at  home,  but  he 
had  an  inveterate  dislike  to  meeting  strangers,  and 
though  courteous,  he  was  always  extremely  silent 
with  them.  Those  two  months  of  uninterrupted 
contentment  and  companionship,  were  a  blessed 
boon,  and  will  remain  forever  a  precious  memory 
to  those  who  were  ere  long  to  lose  him.  By  the 
end  of  August  he  had  not  entirely  recovered  his 
strength,  and  was  ordered  to  the  sea-shore  for  a 
few  days.  He  left  home  most  unwillingly,  but 
came  back  perfectly  restored,  and  immediately 
declared  his  intention  of  returning  to  the  army. 
His  leave  had  not  yet  expired,  and  he  was  en- 


114  WALTER  S.NEWHALL. 

treated  to  stay  at  least  a  week  longer,  but  one  day 
was  all  that  his  affection  would  concede  to  his 
sense  of  duty.  He  felt  that  he  was  needed  at 
camp,  and  he  bade  a  last  farewell  to  those  dear 
ones,  who,  though  they  knew  it  not,  were  to  see 
his  face  no  more. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

THE     GUERRILLAS. 

"  Oh  !   bravely  came  we  off, 
When,  with  a  volley  of  our  needless  shot, 
After  such  bloody  wit,  we  bid  good-night." 

"A  territory, 

Wherein  were  bandit  earls  and  caitiff  knights, 
Assassins,  and  all  flyers  from  the  hand 
Of  justice,  and  whateA^er  loathes  a  law." 

THE  excessive  and  unbroken  heat  of  the  summer 
gave  way,  at  last,  to  the  freshness  of  the  fall. 
There  was  an  unusually  cool  September,  bright  and 
dry,  and  the  two  following  months  were  perfectly 
beautiful.  The  clear,  temperate  weather  was 
turned  to  account  by  the  army,  and  fierce  battles 
were  fought  through  the  golden  autumn  days,  in 
which  our  troops  were  uniformly  successful.  No- 
vember brought  good  news  from  the  West,  where 
our  forces  had  gloriously  retrieved  the  first  failure 
at  Chattanooga,  and  Thanksgiving- day  was  kept  as 


THE     GUERRILLAS.  115 

the  Fourth  of  July  had  been.  About  the  same 
time,  Jefferson  Davis  ordered  a  day  of  general 
humiliation  and  prayer,  to  be  held  throughout  the 
rebel  states.  Disunion  comes  before  us  in  no 
sadder  form  than  this.  How  short  a  time  ago  our 
people  offered  up  their  prayers  as  one,  and  the 
whole  land  fasted  or  gave  thanks  together,  through 
all  its  length  and  breadth;  now,  when  one-half  is 
shouting  a  Te  Deum,  the  other  answers  with  a  De 
Profundis  ! 

Newhall  was  still  acting  as  Assistant  Adjutant- 
General,  which  gave  him  many  new  duties,  but  he 
found  or  made  time  for  frequent  letters  to  his 
family. 

"  September  10th.  Arrived  at  Headquarters, 
Cavalry  Corps,  half  an  hour  ago.  Find  Fred  first- 
rate  ;  shall  remain  with  him  to-night,  and  go  up  to 
our  headquarters  in  the  morning.  Had  about  as 
much  trouble  in  getting  back  to  the  army  as  most 
people  have  in  getting  away  from  it.  We  are 
posted  about  two  miles  from  Warrenton,  on  the 
railroad." 

"  September  llth.  Have  been  eating  and  sleep- 
ing ever  since  I  got  back  to  duty,  and  am  sleepy 
now,  very.  Shouldn't  wonder  if  I  remained  in 
this  torpid  condition  for  some  time." 

"September  12th.  Returned  last  night  from  a 
raid  to  Middleburgh.  It  was  reported  that  Mr. 
Moseby  was  in  that  neighborhood,  but  we  had  no 


116  WALTER    S.    NEWIIALL. 

luck.  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  hunting  guer- 
rillas with  four  regiments  of  cavalry  and  four  pieces 
of  artillery,  was  very  much  like  shooting  mosqui- 
toes with  a  rifle, — very  mashing  to  the  little  bird 
if  you  hit  him.  We  break  up  camp  this  after- 
noon." 

"  Slaughter  Mountain,  September  15th.  After 
leaving  our  camp  near  Warrenton,  we  crossed  the 
Rappahannock  near  Sulphur  Springs,  and  en- 
camped just  outside  Colonel  Gregg's  Brigade.  At 
four  o'clock  A.  M.  on  the  13th,  we  took  the  road 
and  forded  the  Hazel  River,  the  Second  Brigade  in 
front.  As  we  approached  Culpeper,  the  enemy 
disputed  the  ground  a  little.  Hearing  Buford  on 
our  left,  however,  they  didn't  allow  themselves  to 
remain  very  long  in  any  one  place.  As  we  ad- 
vanced in  three  columns,  the  rebels  were  a  little 
mixed,  which  General  Kilpatrick  took  advantage  of, 
and  ordered  up  the  Michigan  Brigade  (Ouster's) 
to  charge  ;  they  captured  about  one  hundred  priso- 
ners and  three  guns.  At  Culpeper  our  columns 
joined.  We  halted  for  half  an  hour,  but  debouch- 
ing at  the  other  side  of  the  town,  we  commenced 
working  our  several  ways  towards  the  Rapid  Ann 
River,  one  division  towards  Rapid  Ann  Station,  Bu- 
ford on  our  left,  towards  Raccoon  Ford,  and  Kil- 
patrick still  further  down  the  river.  Our  brigade 
now  took  the  advance,  and  it  wasn't  long  before 
we  went  from  skirmishing  to  battery  firing,  and 


THE    GUERRILLAS.  117 

then  to  break-neck  charging  and  regular  bull-dog 
fighting.  The  brigade  worked  to  a  charm,  and  our 
battery  of  four  light  twelve-pounders  did  splendid 
execution.  Our  first  position  was  a  little  rough ; 
nine  horses  were  wounded,  and  two  drivers  killed, 
belonging  to  one  piece,  while  it  was  taking  position. 
Just  at  this  moment  the  First  Pennsylvania  was 
reported  in  want  of  ammunition,  which,  as  they 
were  skirmishing,  was  rather  bad,  but  the  guns 
opened  with  grape  and  cannister,  and  the  Sixth 
Ohio  on  the  right  of  the  road,  the  First  Massachu- 
setts and  Third  Pennsylvania  on  the  left,  and  two 
squadrons  of  the  First  Rhode  Island  in  the  road, 
charged  and  carried  the  enemy's  position  with 
small  loss.  This  was  a  magnificent  sight,  and  the 
General  could  not  help  saying  'Beautifully  done.' 
We  pushed  them  within  a  mile  of  Cedar  Mountain, 
where  we  encamped  for  the  night.  All  yesterday 
we  were  feeling  their  position  over  the  Rapid  Ann 
River.  This  is  a  second  Fredericksburg,  only  that 
a  much  stronger  natural  defence  is  found  here,  in 
the  crescent  shape  of  the  hills  overlooking  the 
fords.  To-day  we  hold  our  line  in  front  of  the 
ford.  Skirmishing  all  day,  no  serious  attacks  made 
by  either  party.  To-night,  heavier  firing ;  our 
loss  probably  not  more  than  seventy,  including  one 
officer  wounded.  Weather  good  to-day.  Am  very 
well,  as  was  Fred  the  day  before  yesterday." 
This  was  the  battle  of  Culpeper  Court-house. 


118  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

I 

"  September  16th.  Evening.  All  well.  Firing 
much  easier  to-day.  Enemy  don't  want  to  cross 
our  way,  it  seems.  Still  think  this  route  imprac- 
ticable, in  spite  of  General 's  fuss  with  i  Fight- 
ing Joe  Hooker'  about  it." 

"Near  Culpeper,  September  20th.  The  night 
before  last,  I  met  Fred,  and  as  it  was  the  first 
time  since  we  parted  at  Warrenton,  of  course  we 
enjoyed  ourselves.  He  would  have  stopped  with 
me  all  night ;  but  as  I  am  living  on  charity,  Fitz 
Lee  having  captured  my  blankets,  I  couldn't  very 
well  accommodate  him.  It  was  just  as  well,  how- 
ever, for  the  bedding  was  very  wet,  and  we  took 
steam  dry-rubs  instead  of  sleep  that  night.  We 
had  passed  the  night  before  in  pure,  unadulterated 
misery,  on  account  of  the  rain,  which  fell  in  tor- 
rents. We  posted  ourselves,  in  stooping  positions, 
in  the  middle  of  a  little  fly,  and  took  turns  in 
holding  on  to  the  poles,  to  keep  the  thing  from 
blowing  away.  Imagine  what  a  plight !  If  you 
throw  a  bed-quilt  over  a  clothes-line,  and  peg  the 
ends  down  about  seven  or  eight  feet  apart,  you  will 
have  a  pretty  good  representation  of  a  fly.  Now, 
then,  if  you  can  remember  the  worst  rain-storm 
you  ever  saw  in  your  section  of  the  country,  and 
add  to  it  the  streams  from  half  a  dozen  steam  fire- 
engines  (I'll  throw  in  our  fountain  and  a  shower- 
bath),  pelting  their  mist  horizontally  along  in 
three  directions,  converging  on  the  spot  occupied 


THE    GUERRILLAS.  119 

by  your  fly,  you  will  have  a  very  fair  idea  of  what 
the  Virginians  call  a  rain.  There's  your  tent,  and 
there's  your  storm,  and  where' s  your  man  to  get 
wet  ?  Don't  all  speak  at  once  ! 

"  It's  not  that  I'm  after  complainin'.  This  sort 
of  thing  don't  last  forever,  and  when  once  out  of  it 
we  feel  jolly.  Love  to  all." 

"  September  21st.  Would  you  like  to  know  what 
we  think  of  ourselves  ?  The  following  tells  the 
whole  story. 

'•HEADQUARTERS,  FIRST  BRIGADE, 

SECOND  DIVISION,  CAVALRY  CORPS, 
September  20th,  1863. 

"  General  Order  No.  14. 

"  Officers  and  soldiers  of  the  First  Brigade  :  The 
commanding  officer  of  this  brigade  takes  the  first 
opportunity  which  has  presented  since  your  glori- 
ous advance  from  Culpeper,  to  express  to  you  his 
unqualified  admiration  of  your  conduct  in  the  en- 
gagement near  Culpeper,  and  of  your  subsequent 
conduct  near  the  Rapid  Ann  Station.  It  is  some 
satisfaction  for  you  to  know  that  on  Sunday,  the 
13th  inst.,  you  fought  the  severest  fight  that  the 
corps  was  engaged  in  that  day,  and  it  is  his  great- 
est pride  and  pleasure  to  bear  witness  to  your  great 
gallantry  on  the  occasion.  Under  the  most  galling 
fire  you  advanced  impetuously  on  the  enemy's  line, 
and  in  one  half  hour's  time,  you  occupied  their 
chosen  position.  No  troops  could  have  done  bet- 


120  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

ter.  There  are  no  exceptions,  for  all  acted  as 
veteran  soldiers  of  the  First  Brigade.  You  did 
nobly.  Your  conduct  on  that  day  has  proved  to 
the  enemy  your  superiority,  and  entitles  you  to  the 
best  wishes  and  gratitude  of  your  country.  You 
have  won  an  enviable  reputation. 
"  By  command. 

"  Colonel  J.  B.  MC!NTOSH. 
"  WALTER  S.  NEWHALL, 

"  Captain  and  A.  A.  A.  G." 

"  Catlett's  Station,  September  25th.  Very  busy 
guarding  the  railroad." 

"  Hartwood  Church,  October  5th.  Here  we  are 
back  again,  among  these  '  mean,  tobacco-leaf,  lying 
critters  ;'  ugly  women,  and  pale-faced  men,  with 
long  uncombed  hair,  slouch  hats,  bushy  whiskers, 
and  eyes  of  a  lynx.  Virginia  gentlefolk  !  We 
arrived  here  yesterday  noon,  and  immediately  sent 
five  of  our  six  regiments  on  picket  along  the  Rap- 
pahannock  River.  The  cattle  didn't  come  up  to 
time,  and  a  detachment  was  sent  in  search  of  them. 
This  party  met  a  sutler's  wagon  about  five  miles 
out,  guarded  by  three  civilians  and  two  Jerseymen. 
Returning  shortly  afterwards  discovered  the  wagon 
stuck  in  the  mud,  nobody  near  it,  and  most  of  the 
goods  confiscated.  Being  Massachusetts  men,  they 
immediately  suspected  that  it  wasn't  all  right,  and 
drawing  their  breath,  revolvers,  sabres,  carbines, 


THE     GUERRILLAS.  121 

and  reins,  they  contemplated  the  destruction  of  a 
Jerseyman,  and  above  all,  a  'soldier's  friend,' 
with  tears  in  their  eyes,  and  mixed  potations  of 
'  fighting  whisky,'  and  '  brandy  for  medicinal  pur- 
poses,' in  their  stomachs.  As  soon  as  these  sympa- 
thizing fellows  realized  the  enormity  of  the  enemy's 
wickedness,  they  put  spurs  into  their  horses,  and 
riding  over  every  obstacle,  arrived  safely  in  camp 
with  the  story  of  this  disaster,  all  begging  to 
be  sent  back  with  the  party  that  was  to  recover 
what  the  guerrillas  hadn't  had  time  to  streak  with. 
Early  this  morning  a  detachment  of  the  First  Mas- 
sachusetts and  the  Provost  Guard,  was  despatched 
to  recover  the  lost  goods,  and  if  possible,  to  catch 
some  of  the  pillagers.  They  returned  about  11 
o'clock,  with  their  arms  full  of  smoked  beef,  canned 
fruits,  tobacco,  cigars,  and  gingerbread,  and  two 
prisoners  in  tow, — sweet-looking  chaps.  They  had 
been  caught  napping  after  their  jollification,  and 
were  fourteen  times  more  innocent  than  the  babe 
unborn.  They  actually  grew  angry  because  we 
hinted  that  they  didn't  look  it.  On  being  ques- 
tioned, one  fellow  '  didn't  mind  statin'  as  far  as  he 
knowed,  beyond  that  he  couldn't  say,  for  fear 
of  implicatin'  somebody  that  was  as  innocent  as 
himself:' 

"  '  I  was  passin'  Joel  Spencer's  house  on  this 
side, — wasn't  it,  Joel?'     «  Certainly  it  was.'     'I 
believe  I  said  the  other  side, — I  believed  it  was.' 
9 


122  WALTER    S.    NEW  HALL. 

(This  looked  badly  for  him,  but  he  soon  took  a 
steady  gait,  and  went  straight  through,  until  his 
tears  broke  him  up.)  4 1  saw  one  of  your  gentle- 
men in  the  road,  who  told  me  a  sutler's  wagon  had 
broken  down  in  the  road,  and  been  abandoned,  that 
I'd  better  help  myself,  you  know,  before  it  fell  into 
worse  hands.  There  was  my  family,  gentlemen, 
wife  and  six  children,  almost  starved,  on  the  one 
hand,  and  there,  abandoned  and  stuck  in  the  mud 
close  by,  and  contents  a  rottin',  was  a  sutler's 
wagon  on  the  other.  Self-preservation  has  its  dic- 
tates, gentlemen,  under  some  circumstances,  and 
I'm  not  ashamed  to  say,  that  that  wagon  being 
broke  down  and  gone  away  from,  and  my  family 
not  havin'  tasted  anything  but  corn-bread  for  three 
weeks,  (and  sparse  at  that,)  I'm  not  ashamed  to 
say,  I  helped  myself;  not  that  I  wish  to  keep  you 
all  from  havin'  what  I  took,  but  merely  for  the 
sake  of  keepin'  my  family  up  ;  (that's  what  1  said, 
ain't  it,  Joel  ?)  and  the  way  those  things  happened 
to  be  locked  up  was  this  :  I  said  to  my  wife,  "  Wife, 
you'd  better  stow  away  them  sweets,  for  fear  the 
children  might  get  sick  ;"  remarkin'  at  the  same 
time,  that  we  were  in  no  condition  to  pay  the 
doctor's  bill.  Now,  gentlemen,  I  reckon  that  that 
upset  was  a  providential  thing.  I  hope  you  won't 
think  hard  of  a  man  for  providin'  for  the  family 
that  God  gave  him.'  Convulsive  sobs,  and  a  pro- 
fusion of  tears,  which,  however,  were  checked  when 


THE    GUERRILLAS.  123 

the  other  chap  (who,  according  to  his  friend,  was 
more  fool  than  knave,)  opened  his  mouth  with  a 
perfectly  contradictory  story." 

The  guerrillas  had  grown  to  be  more  than  a  nui- 
sance,— they  had  become  a  scourge.  Men  must 
be  debased,  indeed,  before  they  can  carry  on  war- 
fare in  so  dishonorable  and  dastardly  a  mode.  The 
spy  is  held  in  such  ill-repute  that  a  gentleman  will 
hardly  take  the  post.  He  does  not  wear  the  uni- 
form, and  if  captured,  dies  a  felon's  death.  Yet 
the  discredit  of  such  service  does  not  weigh  for  an 
instant  against  the  ignominy  of  the  guerrilla's. 
Acknowledging  no  law,  civil  or  military,  admitting 
no  claim  of  society  or  humanity,  recognized  by  no 
party,  protected  by  no  flag,  attacking  and  killing 
unarmed  men,  adding  the  shame  of  theft  to  the  sin 
of  murder,  he  is  a  disgrace  to  the  cause  he  espouses. 
Eastern  Virginia  is  infested  with  these  wretches. 
They  shield  themselves  behind  the  sham  of  a  quiet, 
humble  life,  frequently  feigning  ill-health,  and 
sympathy  with  the  North,  assembling  in  bands  to 
make  their  cowardly  assaults  by  night,  on  solitary 
sentinels,  and  parties  too  small  for  resistance,  leav- 
ing no  live  man  to  tell  tales,  and  dispersing  to  their 
miserable  abodes,  and  pretence  of  inoffensive,  loyal 
characters.  There  is  a  long  list  of  brave  victims 
unavenged,  to  which  new  names  are  constantly 
being  added,  while  these  despicable  assassins  con- 
tinue to  ply  their  trade  with  impunity.  Newhall's 


124  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

elder  brother,  Captain  in  the  Sixth  Pennsylvania 
Cavalry,  wrote  from  his  camp  at  Hartwood  Church, 
during  the  autumn  of  '63,  "  I  haven't  seen  Walter 
since  we  came  across  the  Rappahannock,  and  would 
call  on  him,  but  to  go  in  safety  from  here  to  his 
headquarters  requires  a  retinue  of  more  men  than 
I  care  to  employ  on  such  a  long  ride,  not  on  official 
business.  The  guerrillas  between  here  and  there 
rule  the  roast  with  everything  much  less  than  pla- 
toons. The  phlegmatic  Army  of  the  Potomac  isn't 
going  to  bother  its  head  about  a  few  guerrillas,  so 
they  are  allowed  to  pursue  their  pleasing  devices. 
As  an  army,  we  regard  guerrillas  as  the  ox  did  the 
fly  on  his  horn.  We  say,  '  Stay  if  you  wish ;  it  don't 
inconvenience  us.'  If  they  burn  a  bridge,  we  re- 
build it.  If  they  kill  an  officer,  we  say  it  was  a 
beastly  mean  trick.  If  they  capture  a  sutlers' 
train,  we  ask,  *  How  are  you,  sutlers  ?'  and  are  rather 
glad  of  it ;  and  if  we  catch  them,  we  hear  the  inno- 
cent stories  of  their  honest  lives,  and  the  Provost- 
Marshal-General  gives  them  a  pass  to  go  where 
they  please." 

Walter  himself  writes  of  them  : 

"  October  8th.  We  are  in  the  vilest  neighborhood 
imaginable,  full  of  guerrillas,  whom  we  try  in  vain 
to  catch.  My  notion  of  them  is  founded  on  these 
facts  :  nobody  ever  saw  one  ;  they  leave  no  tracks, 
and  they  come  down  upon  you  when  you  least  ex- 


THE    GUERRILLAS.  125 

pect  them.  Why  shouldn't  there  be  flying  infantry 
as  well  as  flying  artillery  ?  Answer  me  that." 

During^  the  next  ten  days  he  was  constantly  in 
action,  and  had  no  time  to  write.  He  took  part  in 
the  severe  fight  of  his  division  at  Sulphur  Springs, 
on  the  l*2th  of  October,  and  in  the  battle  of  Bristoe 
Station,  on  the  14th,  as  well  as  in  several  skirmishes 
while  his  brigade  was  assisting  to  guard  the  wagon 
trains  during  the  march  to  Centreville. 

"Near  Fairfax  Station,  October  17th.  We  are 
busily  engaged  in  picketing  along  Bull  Run." 

"  October  23d.  The  rebels  haven't  all  crossed 
the  river  yet.  Yesterday  Colonel  Gregg  had  a 
brush  with  them  near  Bealeton.  Second  Pennsyl- 
vania Cavalry  did  well.  We  stood  by  and  '  reas- 
sured' the  Second  Brigade,  but  didn't  participate 
personally.  Haven't  had  writing  opportunities 
since  the  movement  from  the  Rapid  Ann.  We've 
been  constantly  on  the  move, — from  Morrisville 
and  Hartwood  Church  on  October  llth ;  Sulphur 
Springs  and  Fayetteville  on  the  12th ;  Auburn  on 
the  13th ;  Bristoe  Station  and  Brentsville  on  the 
14th ;  Wolf  Run  Shoals  on  the  15th  ;  Fairfax 
Court-house  on  the  16th  and  17th ;  Bull  Run  on 
the  18th  and  19th ;  Fairfax  Station  on  the  20th  ; 
Centreville  and  Gainesville  on  the  21st ;  Warren- 
ton  on  the  22d,  and  are  now  encamped  on  the  old 
ground." 

"  Sulphur  Springs,  October  31st.  My  birthday. 


126  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

Twenty-two.  How  old  I'm  growing  !  I  shall  soon 
be  a  confirmed  member  of  the  bachelor  corps. 
We  are  encamped  in  a  splendid  grove,  which  the 
proprietor  says  was  handed  down  to  him  from  his 
great-great-grandfather,  and  he  therefore  begs  us 
not  to  cut  any  of  the  trees  for  firewood.  Colonel 
Taylor  reminds  him  that  he,  the  proprietor,  is  one 
of  a  set  of  rascals  who  are  endeavoring  to  destroy 
a  government  that  has  been  handed  down  to  us  in 
the  same  manner,  and  begged  that  he  would  not 
think  it  any  disrespect  to  his  ancestor,  if  we  declined 
freezing  to  death  just  now.  The  Colonel  was  a 
little  rough,  but  he  is  so  full  of  patriotism  he  could 
not  help  it." 

"  November  1st.  We  may  move  in  a  day  or  two. 
I  shouldn't  much  wonder  if  we  attempted  the 
turning  of  the  enemy's  left,  forcing  him  across 
the  Rappahannock  at  the  lower  fords,  with  one 
corps  occupying  the  line  of  the  Rapid  Ann, 
crossing  the  Rappahannock  at  United  States' 
Ford  above  and  joining  our  forces,  meet  the  re- 
bels on  the  Chancellorville  ground.  This  is  my 
first  attempt  at  strategy,  but  I  make  bold  to  say, 
that  if  the  main  points  of  my  plan  are  carried 
out,  we  could  find  a  way  to  Richmond,  which  won't 
be  of  nature's  providing.  We  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  are  somewhat  in  the  same  fix  as  the 
small  boy,  who  was  required  to  shoot  a  torn-tit  and 
a  squirrel  with  one  load  of  No.  1  shot,  thus  :  small 


THE    GUERRILLAS.  127 

boy  and  No.  1  shot,  Army  of  Potomac ;  torn-tit, 
Washington;  squirrel,  Richmond, — do  you  see?" 

"  Bealeton  Station,  November  8th.  We  moved 
down  here  yesterday,. and  are  now  guarding  wagon 
trains.  Yesterday  the  Sixth  Corps  took  thirteen 
hundred  prisoners  and  a  battery  of  artillery.  Ge- 
neral French  at  Kelly's  Ford  caught  about  five 
hundred  more.  Everything  quiet  this  morning." 

"November  llth.  Picketing  the  neighborhood 
of  Warreriton.  No  news." 

"  November  19th.  I  have  just  finished  reading 
in  Blackwood's  Magazine  an  account  of  what  an 
4  English  officer'  has  the  unblushing  impudence  to 
call  the  Battle  of  Gettysburg.  Ten  pages  are  de- 
voted to  a  very  interesting  ride  on  a  sore-backed 
horse,  four  to  the  battle,  and  eight  to  the  difficulty 
of  passing  into  the  Yankee  lines — even  with  Ge- 
neral Lee's  pass.  Why  didn't  the  fellow  get  into  a 
good  position  during  Longstreet's  movement  ?  then 
he  could  have  told  us  something  we  didn't  know. 
No  news.  I  hear  of  moving,  but  not  officially." 

"  November  22d.  I  can't  pass  Sunday  quietly 
in  camp  without  writing  home.  I  have  only  to  say 
that  I'm  alarmingly  healthy.  If  necessary,  in  cor- 
recting the  report  of  Moseby's  capture,  to  use  my 
name,  you  are  authorized  to  do  so." 

"  Morrisville,  November  24th,  10  p.  M.  We  are 
on  the  move  again,  bound  '  for  Richmond  and  a 
market,'  of  course." 


128  WALTER    S.    NEW  HALL. 

"  Plank-road  to  Orange  Court-house,  November 
27th.  All  well.  Fighting  pretty  heavy  ;  also  our 
loss.  All  our  friends  safe." 

This  was  the  battle  known  as  Mine  Run  or  the 
Wilderness,  the  latter  being  the  expressive  name 
given  by  the  inhabitants  to  the  spot  where  it  was 
fought,  being  part  of  the  same  tract  in  which  our 
army  had  been  so  cruelly  cut  to  pieces  six  months 
before,  at  Chancellorville.  On  this  occasion,  only 
the  cavalry  and  one  corps  of  infantry  were  engaged, 
and  that  with  entire  success,  although  unfortunately 
great  loss  of  life  and  no  results,  owing  to  the  fail- 
re  of  the  general  movement,  of  which  this  was 
part. 

"Near  Stevensburg,  December  5th.  Here  we 
are,  resting  after  our  little  trip  over  the  Rapid  Ann. 
We  cover  a  picket  front  of  only  fifteen  miles,  which 
is  mere  sport, — good  practice  for  cavalry.  Sup- 
pose I  tell  you  what  Colonel  Taylor  says  of  the 
doings  of  his  brigade  among  '  Mr.  Lee's  folks,'  and 
as  he  is  a  straightforward  man  and  a  pious,  you 
can  rely  on  the  truth  of  his  statement.  Here  it  is. 
4  My  brigade,  proceeding  from  Whitehall,  on  the 
27th  of  November,  struck  the  Orange  and  Fred- 
ericksburg  Plank-road  near  Parker's  store,  at  8J 
A.  M.,  and  marched  in  front  of  the  Fifth  Corps 
d'armee  towards  Orange  Court-house.  At  11 
o'clock  my  advance  drove  in  the  enemy's  pickets 
and  first  line  of  skirmishers  near  Mount  Hope 


THE    GUERRILLAS.  129 

Church ;  here  the  enemy's  line  was  strengthened, 
and  it  became  necessary  to  dismount  three  of  my 
squadrons,  in  order  to  dislodge  him  from  the  thicket 
of  pine-trees  and  the  railroad,  where  he  was  strongly 
posted.  This  duty  was  well  done  by  two  squa- 
drons of  the  Third  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  and  one 
of  the  First  Massachusetts  Cavalry.  During  the 
clearing  of  this  woody  country,  the  enemy  used 
grape  and  cannister  without  effect.  A  section  of 
Martin's  Sixth  New  Jersey  Battery  opened  on  the 
enemy's  guns,  and  the  squadrons  already  men- 
tioned having  been  reinforced,  drove  the  enemy 
from  his  cover,  charged  across  the  open  space 
beyond,  and  occupied  the  edge  of  the  opposite  wood, 
putting  to  flight  several  squadrons  of  rebel  cavalry. 
The  enemy  now  advanced  his  infantry,  and  in  ten 
minutes  my  line  was  heavily  pressed,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  supporting  regiment  (the  Sixth  Ohio), 
and  a  few  minor  supports.  The  ground  being  im- 
practicable for  cavalry,  I  threw  my  entire  com- 
mand dismounted  against  the  enemy,  repelled  his 
charge,  took  his  position,  and  captured  thirty-four 
infantrymen,  including  a  captain,  with  their  arms, 
&c.,  besides  killing  and  wounding  a  large  number. 
During  this  time  the  enemy  opened  with  artillery 
from  three  positions,  keeping  Martin's  Battery 
actively  engaged.  For  about  an  hour  the  enemy 
was  steadily  driven  back,  the  two  lines  being  within 
twenty  paces  of  each  other.  The  officers  and  men 


130  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

of  my  command  behaved  with  extreme  gallantry. 
The  surgeons  of  the  brigade  were  untiring  in  their 
exertions  to  alleviate  the  sufferings  of  the  wounded. 
My  line  was  engaged  until  4J  p.  M.,  when,  my  am- 
munition giving  out,  I  was  relieved  by  the  Fifth 
Corps." 

"  The  squadrons,"  already  mentioned,  were 
Charley  Treichel's  and  Captain  Walsh's  of  the  gal- 
lant Third,  and  Captain  Crowninshield's  of  the 
First  Massachusetts  Cavalry. 

ISTewhall  himself  commanded  Captain  Treichel's 
squadron  in  this  battle ;  but  he  never  spoke  of  it, 
nor  was  it  known  until  after  his  death,  when  Cap- 
tain Treichel  (who  had  been  fighting  with  one  arm 
ever  since  Gettysburg)  came  home,  to  pay  the  last 
sad  tribute  of  respect  to  the  inseparable  friend  and 
companion  of  his  whole  military  career,  and  find- 
ing how  the  story  stood,  set  it  right. 

"  As  usual,  I  had  prime  luck.  Every  acknow- 
ledgment is  due  to  Providence,  I  know;  but  I  can't 
help  paying  my  noble  steed,  4  Tim  Whiffler,'  a  pass- 
ing compliment,  for  the  style  in  which  he  brought 
me  from  behind  the  rebel  lines,  where  I  had  been 
idiotic  enough  to  get,  during  one  of  their  attempts 
to  yell  our  men  out  of  countenance.  We  are 
ordered  to  Brandy  Station,  in  the  morning." 

"Brandy  Station,  December  7th.  I  had  forgot- 
ten that  you  would  feel  interested  for  Lieutenant 
Longfellow,  of  the  First  Massachusetts  Cavalry. 


THE     GUERRILLAS.  131 

He  has  gone  to  Washington,  on  his  way  home, 
seriously,  but  not  dangerously,  wounded.  Colonel 
Taylor  and  I  were  just  beside  him  when  he  was 
shot,  during  a  fierce  attack  by  our  friends  the 
rebs ;  but  as  he  walked  off  by  himself  without  a 
whimper,  we  concluded  he  would  soon  be  all  right 
again." 

"  December  10th.  The  infantry  hereabouts  are 
building  log-huts,  indicative  of  a  change  of  camp, 
although  at  first  sight  it  does  not  appear  so.  We, 
poor  cavalrymen,  have  to  carry  everything  on  our 
horses,  now  that  our  mules  have  been  turned  in." 

"  Warrenton,  December  13th.  We  marched  from 
Bealeton  Station  yesterday,  and  appear  to  have 
settled  down  at  last  for  winter  quarters,  much  to 
the  delight  of  citizens  hereabouts,  who  look  for- 
ward to  innumerable  and  jolly  raids  by  their  favor- 
ite cut-throat,  Mr.  Moseby.  Even  now,  from  the 
tops  of  the  neighboring  mountains,  his  hungry 
followers  are  looking  down  upon  our  weak  points. 
How  many  fruitless  mud-raids  we  shall  make  after 
them  this  winter,  time  even  will  have  difficulty  in 
telling.  I  know  the  programme  by  heart :  '  Suc- 
cessful attack  on  wagon-trains ;  Moseby  off  with  his 
plunder.  Nobody  hurt.'  That's  how  it  will  be. 
Three  or  four  weeks  ago,  I  joined  a  regiment  in  a 
'  hounding'  expedition  after  a  party  of  these  guerril- 
las, who,  having  captured  part  of  a  wagon-train, 
were  making  their  way  to  the  deserted  wilds  of 


132  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

Thoroughfare  Gap  and  Salem.  We  struck  the 
trail  at  three  in  the  afternoon  of  a  very  rainy  day, 
and  galloped  in  pursuit  until  8J  p.  M.,  when  we 
discovered  that  the  trail  divided  into  about  twenty 
minor  paths,  leading  up  hills,  down  ravines,  back 
through  dark  pine  woods,  and  everywhere.  How- 
ever, we  surrounded  a  house  in  the  immediate 
neighborhood  of  our  discomfiture,  and,  on  looking 
in,  our  delighted  eyes  feasted  on  the  forms  of  five 
or  six  of  Moseby's  beauties,  who  were  enriching 
as  many  young  ladies  with  all  sorts  of  sutler's 
trinkets,  from  golden  hat-cords  down  to  cakes  and 
candy,  with  perfect  disregard  of  expense.  It  was 
delightful ;  only  I  was  afraid  we  shouldn't  get 
anything  if  we  didn't  shoot  first,  and  ascertain  the 
facts  of  the  case  afterwards.  The  Colonel  couldn't 
think  of  such  a  thing ;  so  a  party  was  sent  round 
to  the  front  door  to  knock!  Before  the  echoes  of 
their  thumping  had  died  away,  every  light  in  the 
house  was  extinguished,  even  the  fires,  all  the  doors 
and  windows  were  simultaneously  slammed  and  re- 
slammed,  five  women  screamed  at  the  top  of  their 
lofty  lungs,  two  dinner-bells  were  violently  rung 
from  garret  windows,  several  pistol-shots  were  fired 
into  us,  and  the  majority  of  the  rascals  got  off. 
In  a  moment  all  was  quiet  enough,  and  on  forcing 
the  doors  we  found  the  young  ladies  panting  with 
excitement,  but  highly  delighted  with  the  escape 
of  those  'dear  men.'  We  caught  two  in  an  old 


THE    END.  133 

clothes-basket,  'where  there  wasn't  anything  but 
Ma's  wash.'  We  picked  up  a  very  suspicious-look- 
ing hat,  with  a  long  black  feather  in  it.  Don't 
tell  anybody  that  Mr.  Moseby  had  just  left  that 
hat  to  be  called  for  when  wanted;  and  don't  be- 
lieve that  I  am  at  all  disheartened.  I  can't  help 
feeling  that  the  result  was  what  might  have  been 
expected." 


CHAPTER    IX. 

THEE  ND. 

"  With  trembling  fingers  did  we  weave 

The  holly  round  the  Christmas  hearth  ; 
As  rainy  clouds  possessed  the  earth, 
And  sadly  fell  our  Christmas  eve." 

"  Brief,  brave,  and  glorious  was  his  young  career. 

#  *  *  *  * 

For  he  was  Freedom's  champion,  one  of  those, 
The  few  in  number,  who  had  ne'er  o'erstept 
The  charter  to  chastise,  which  she  bestows 

On  such  as  wield  her  weapons ;   he  had  kept 
The  whiteness  of  his  soul,  and  thus  men  o'er  him  wept." 

CHRISTMAS  was  drawing  near ;  the  army  was 
inactive ;  and  many  of  the  officers  were  applying 
for  leave  of  absence  to  spend  the  holy-tide  with 
their  families.  Both  the  Newhalls  had  the  hope 
of  going  home,  where  all  the  sons  were  to  meet 
once  more  for  the  first  time  in  vears.  On  the 


134  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

evening  before  leaving,  Walter  made  up  his  com- 
pany accounts,  choosing,  with  characteristic  fide- 
lity, to  put  everything  in  order,  in  anticipation  of 
even  so  short  an  absence.  The  next  morning, 
the  18th  of  December,  he  left  his  camp,  to  pass 
the  night  at  headquarters  with  his  brother,  and 
start  for  home  the  next  morning.  He  was  in  the 
highest  spirits  as  he  bade  his  companions  good-bye 
and  rode  off,  followed  by  an  orderly.  Before 
reaching  the  Rappahannock,  he  was  obliged  to 
cross  a  small  stream,  one  of  those  little  runs  which 
intersect  that  country  in  every  direction,  and  such 
as  he  had  forded  and  swum  a  hundred  times.  It 
had  usually  very  little  depth  or  width;  but  recent 
heavy  rains  had  swollen  it  considerably,  and  con- 
verted the  bottom  into  a  morass.  He  plunged  in ; 
but  about  midway  his  horse  became  mired,  and 
began  to  struggle.  Walter  instantly  perceived 
the  danger,  and  waved  to  his  orderly  not  to  follow. 
He  then  quietly  attempted  to  quit  his  saddle  to 
swim  to  shore ;  but  as  he  was  in  the  act,  his  fright- 
ened horse  reared  and  fell  over  upon  him.  There 
was  one  moment,  one  supreme  moment,  before  he 
disappeared ;  and  he  called  to  his  orderly,  in  a 
calm,  clear  voice,  "  Go  for  my  brother  !"  and  sank. 
His  body  was  recovered  in  half  an  hour ;  but  it  was 
only  his  body.  His  unfortunate  brother,  who  was 
looking  for  him  to  talk  over  their  plans  for  the 
holidays,  took  his  corpse  home  to  their  parents. 


THE    END.  135 

Over  their  grief  drop  the  veil.  The  news  of  his 
death  fell  upon  the  whole  community  as  a  sore 
calamity,  and  the  Christmas  of  every  household  in 
the  country-side  was  darkened.  The  letters  which 
poured  in  from  every  direction,  not  to  his  family 
alone,  but  to  all  his  friends,  proved  how  widely  he 
was  known  and  valued,  and  how  deeply  all  who  had 
ever  seen  him  felt  what  his  loss  must  be  to  those 
among  whom  he  had  lived.  The  expressions  of 
private  sympathy,  in  such  an  hour,  must  needs  be 
genuine  and  heartfelt.  Wherever  a  father  and 
mother  are  mourning  over  their  son,  there  is  the 
same  sorrow  that  has  always  been  since  the  first 
parents  mourned  over  the  first  dead  child.  But 
the  tributes  of  regard  and  respect  to  the  memory 
of  the  dead,  as  well  as  to  the  grief  of  the  living,  were 
such  as  no  ordinary  man  could  have  called  forth. 
The  lamentations  of  his  early  playfellows,  of  those 
who  had  seen  him  grow  up,  of  his  brother  officers, 
were  only  natural;  but  the  distress  of  numbers 
who  had  seldom  met  him,  or  had  only  heard  him 
spoken  of,  and  the  profound  regret  of  his  superior 
officers,  were  the  best  and  highest  proofs  of  his 
worth.  There  is  a  letter,  one  of  very  many,  which 
is  not  out  of  place  here,  since  it  casts  a  light  back 
upon  his  character,  being  written  to  a  friend  of  the 
family  by  one  who  did  not  know  them, — by  one 
who,  though  he  sees  many  men,  and  saw  Newhall 
but  seldom,  was  struck  by  him  as  a  man  apart. 


136  WALTER    S.   NEW  HALL. 

) 

"WASHINGTON,  D.  C., 

December  19th,  1863. 

"  MY  DEAR  SIR  :  It  was  with  great  regret  that  I 
heard  of  the  death  of  Captain  W.  S.  JSTewhall,  of 
our  cavalry.  I  recollect  him  well  during  the  night 
march  from  White  Oak  Swamp  to  James  River. 
He  brought  to  General  Franklin  a  message,  and 
returned  with  one  to  General  McClellan.  It  was 
considered  a  hazardous  mission,  and  I  recollect  the 
hairbreadth  escapes  he  made  from  capture  on  that 
occasion.  Since  that  time  I  have  but  rarely  seen 
him,  but  I  shall  never  forget  his  appearance,  his 
calm,  resolute  face,  on  that  eventful  night.  In 
losing  him,  the  service  has  lost  a  valuable  officer 
and  a  brave  soldier. 

"  I  am,  very  truly, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"  WIN.  S.  HANCOCK, 

"Major  General,  Volunteers." 

All  the  superior  officers  of  his  division  bore  testi- 
mony to  his  high  military  merit,  in  letters  too  full 
of  private  feeling  for  his  recent  loss,  to  meet  any 
eyes  but  those  to  whom  they  were  addressed.  But 
two  months  afterwards  General  Averell,  his  former 
Colonel,  wrote  of  him  in  terms  of  praise,  which 
from  a  man  of  his  character  and  position,  is  the 
fullest  endorsement  of  all  that  has  been  claimed 
for  Newhall  in  this  sketch. 


THE     END.  137 

"  MARTINSBURG,  VA., 

February  21st,  1864. 

"  MY  DEAR  SIR  : I  desire  to  lighten, 

if  possible,  the  burden  of  your  great  grief,  by  telling 
you  that  the  loss  of  your  noble  son  is  not  only  felt 
heavily  by  me,  his  first  Colonel,  but  by  all  his 
comrades  in  arms.  While  the  service  has  lost  one 
of  its  most  promising  officers,  you  have  thrown  into 
the  yawning  chasm  of  Secession,  a  priceless  jewel. 

"I  pray  that  you  may  have  the  consolation  of 
believing  that  the  hideous  gulf  has  been  narrowed 
by  the  sacrifice. 

"  While  we  grope  our  way  toward  the  solution  of 
the  greatest  problem  ever  presented  to  humanity, 
these  dreadful  afflictions  render  our  cause  more 
sacred,  and  our  purposes  more  steadfast. 

"  It  will  be  long  ere  the  cavalry  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  forget  WALTER  NEWHALL.  His  cha- 
racter was  a  model  for  all  who  had  the  pleasure  of 
knowing  him.  It  is  difficult  for  me  to  say  wherein 
he  lacked  of  being  perfect.  He  was  without  fear, 
and  certainly  without  reproach.  Dignified  with- 
out affectation,  reticent,  but  not  taciturn,  his 
graceful  but  impressive  manners  charmed  all  who 
ever  saw  him  smile.  In  the  execution  of  orders 
he  never  hesitated,  and  he  possessed  that  rare 
quality  in  an  officer,  the  power  of  inspiring  his 
men  with  perfect  confidence. 

"  His  purity  and  his  principles  had  a  living  force, 
10 


138  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

which  made  itself  felt  throughout  his  command. 
It  is  yet  felt,  and  he  still  lives,  not  only  with  his 
comrades,  but  with 

i 'Your  friend  and  servant, 

"  WM.  W.  AVERELL, 

"B.  G." 

The  grief  in  his  regiment  was  only  second  to 
that  in  his  home.  Each  man  mourned  for  him  as 
for  a  brother.  The  following  order,  issued  by  com- 
mand of  the  Colonel  commanding,  is  only  the  ex- 
pression of  the  sorrow  felt  by  all. 

"  HEADQUARTERS,  FIRST  BRIGADE, 

SECOND  DIVISION,  CAVALRY  CORPS, 
January  8th,  1864. 

"  Special  Order,  No.  54. 

"  Officers  and  soldiers  of  the  First  Brigade :  It 
is  the  painful  duty  of  the  Colonel  commanding,  on 
returning  to  the  command,  to  announce  to  you  the 
sudden  and  unexpected  death  of  Captain  Walter 
S.  Newhall,  Acting  Assistant  Adjutant-General  of 
this  Brigade,  which,  through  the  All-wise  Disposer 
of  events,  occurred  December  18th,  1863. 

"  In  the  death  of  this  officer,  our  country,  the 
service,  parents,  and  friends,  have  sustained  an 
irreparable  loss,  in  one  possessing  a  modest  and 
unassuming  nature,  and  principles  the  perfect  soul 
of  honor  ;  combining  the  qualities  of  the  thorough, 
efficient  officer,  the  brave  and  gallant  soldier,  the 


THE    END.  139 

finished  and  courteous  gentleman,  and  the  exem- 
plary Christian. 

"  The  Colonel  commanding,  impelled  by  a  com- 
mon sorrow,  a  grief,  personal  to  all  who  knew  his 
worth,  unites  with  you  in  the  deep  sorrow  you  feel 
in  the  loss  of  your  comrade,  and  cannot  resist  on 
this  occasion  to  bear  testimony  of  his  high  appre- 
ciation of  the  many  virtues  which  he  possessed ;  of 
his  fearless  courage,  his  ready  and  willing  disposi- 
tion, courting  labor,  and  never  shrinking  from  its 
most  trying  hardships,  but  by  example  and  ability 
inspiring  those  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 

"And  while  all  acknowledge  the  just  and  guiding 
Hand  of  our  destiny,  we  mourn  the  blasted  pro- 
mises of  his  brilliant  career. 

"  By  command  of  Colonel  J.  P.  Taylor. 

"J.  H.  BEALE, 

"  Captain  and  A.  A.  A.  G." 

Walter  S.  JSTewhall  was  buried  at  Laurel  Hill 
Cemetery,  near  Philadelphia,  on  the  22d  of  De- 
cember. The  escort  and  usual  military  honors 
were  declined  by  his  family,  but  his  bier  was  borne 
by  his  Colonel  and  five  brother  officers,  four  of 
whom  were  old  playmates  and  companions  in  his 
first  essay  at  arms,  at  Chestnut  Hill.  A  crowd 
of  men  of  all  ages  and  callings,  clergymen,  sol- 
diers, men  of  business,  and  men  of  pleasure,  fol- 
lowed him  to  the  grave,  and  all  in  tears.  The 


140  WALTER    S.    NEWHALL. 

regular  assistants  at  that  melancholy  place,  said 
that  they  had  never  witnessed  such  grief  in  all 
their  sad  experience.  His  coffin  was  filled  and 
covered  with  flowers  as  if  he  had  been  a  child,  and 
no  child  was  ever  laid  to  rest  whose  life  had  been 
purer  than  his. 

His  character  showed  all  the  gifts  of  a  noble 
nature,  and  all  the  graces  of  a  Christian  life.  What 
need  is  there  to  dwell  upon  his  virtues  ?  His 
story  tells  them,  and  they  will  live  in  the  hearts 
of  all  who  knew  him,  until  they,  like  him,  shall  have 
put  on  immortality. 


6813' 


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